Tick Tock
by Kody Wright
Summary: Sam, Jack and Daniel end up 3 years in the past after discovering a much smaller Star Gate on the property of a troubled rancher. They must wait to catch up to when they leave and help the rancher knowing she will lose her home. Story is complete.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Major Samantha Carter beamed with enthusiasm upon being debriefed prior. A very large naquadah ore bed had been discovered in the USA and had been acquired by the government. The naquadah deposit was located in Utah and one of the largest deposits ever discovered. Earth now had its own supply of the rare mineral that was so crucial to the space program. It was as if they were given a gift from above and she couldn't have been more pleased. She made her way to the Gate Room to gather with her team for the next assignment. She noticed Teal'c was missing from the assembly.

She greeted Jack and Daniel, "Sir! Daniel…" she glanced about, "No Teal'c?"

Daniel explained, "He was called to Chulak this morning. His son is having some issues…" he winced.

"Girlfriend issues," Jack added with a sigh.

"Oh," she winced feeling any parent's frustration. "I see…so it's just us."

"Just us, Carter." he agreed. He glanced up at the control room as the inner ring of the Stargate began to turn. One by one the chevrons locked into place and soon the event horizon was established with an eruption of liquid energy that shimmered like water under the high powered lights.

Jack watched on as Sam and Daniel went through the eye of the Gate first. The whole thing was getting rather mundane for the old colonel. Every new dial out was becoming much like the last. He walked up the ramp and into the event horizon for yet another mission.

Much to Jack's surprise they didn't end up where he thought they would. Instead of exiting a majestic Stargate on a large stone platform they emerged from a much smaller Gate in a dark cave. He looked about rather baffled, "Is this where we are supposed to be?"

Daniel had been casting the flashlight about the area and replied, "No!" He turned towards Sam who was equally confused.

Sam reported, "There is no DHD. Where are we?" she asked herself. She went to inspect the much smaller Gate in detail. "This Gate is seven feet tall; one third the size of our Gate."

Daniel found the cave lacked any glyphs or writing of any kind. He declared, "I got nothing on my end."

Sam found the access panel and began to remove it. She gathered her computer from her bag and remarked, "This could take a while." as she began to run a diagnostic.

Jack figured, "Daniel and I will take a peek outside the cave and see what's out there."

"Sounds good, sir." she agreed.

Jack and Daniel soon found the mouth of the cave partial hidden by a rock. It was a tight squeeze but the men emerged and found a rocky, mountainous region overlooking flat lands below. It looked much like Earth's Midwest to the men.

"Nice view," Jack stated. He removed his binoculars from his vest pocket and began to visually sweep the area. In the distance he spotted movement coming out of a tree line. He squinted as he realized he was spotting an Elk.

Daniel peered through his set of binoculars, "That's a Moose."

"More like an Elk," he corrected.

"What's an Elk doing off world?" he wondered.

Jack paused and admitted, "I have no idea." He turned and led Daniel back inside the cave. He soon found Sam who gave a worried look as she ran the readings. "Carter!" he started.

She looked up, "I'm picking up US satellite feeds on my computer, sir. This isn't good."

"What?" he asked.

"The date stamps are from over three years ago. I'm running a more detailed analysis on the smaller Gate. I don't think we actually left, Earth, sir."

Jack replied, "Daniel and I spotted an Elk outside."

"I still think it was a moose." Daniel told him.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Whatever!"

"It's gonna take time to finish my diagnostics." Sam told them. "We're not dialing out of here. That much I can tell you now. The ZPM that powers this little Gate is dead. We're lucky we didn't have Teal'c or we would have overloaded the buffer system and we could have lost one of us on re-entry."

Jack asked, "Satellite states are off by three years?"

Daniel gasped, "Like the time we ended up in 1969."

"We're much closer this time but it appears so," Sam confirmed. "We can't get back. We are stuck three years in the past if my readings are correct." She then figured, "There would be another version of each of us here already. Us from three years ago! We have to stay out of our way and not contact anyone or we could affect the timeline."

"What?" Jack asked fearing what he heard.

"We have to lay low and stay out of history's way." she insisted. "We need to avoid ourselves and anyone who knows us until we catch up with the day we left. Then we can go back to the SGC." she figured.

"What?" Jack asked looking at his friends in a near panic.

Daniel winced, "We can't go back until we catch up to when we left. That means…we have to stay low and out of sight for the next three years. We're on a countdown…Tick Tock!" he explained.

"Oh' great!" Jack heavily sighed.

**5 Days Later**

Jack rolled onto his side. It had been a rough five days sleeping in region. They had managed to get to a nearby town a day prior and find some clean clothes to change out of after spending four days in a survival mode and camping in the wilderness. They soon discovered the name of the town was Hunter Creek in Utah. After ensuring none of the cash they carried was dated prior to the three year cut off the team found a local secondhand store to buy civilian clothing. Jack let his field jacket that doubled as a blanket, slide down his shoulders as he sat up in the chilly, dew soaked morning. He was growing tired of camping in the woods like some hermit. He was beginning to feel like a hermit as he had not shaven in three days. He still supported his combat boots but not the trousers. Instead, he wore blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a red and black flannel shirt.

Daniel and Sam both started to wake. Daniel wore a pair of tan carpenter pants with a red and white flannel. He managed to buy a wool blanket at the secondhand store which he favored in the cold nights.

Sam also had to change out of the uniform and found herself wearing blue jeans, a purple and white flannel shirt and a brown down vest that she purchased from the thrift store. The only remnant of the uniform was her boots. All of the team still wore black combat boots.

Jack had already gone for a paper bag of food they purchased while in town. He found the box of instant oatmeal and looked over at his friends, "Morning campers! Who wants what flavor? I get brown sugar." he staked his claim.

"Apple," Sam requested as she gathered some water to heat on the fire.

Daniel complained, "I wanted raisin spice, Jack."

He rebutted, "We are on a limited budget, Daniel. We only had enough money for one box of oatmeal. That's why I got the variety pack. So, your choices are now plain or apple."

"Raisin spice," he smirked at him.

Jack tossed him the box, "Fish out what you want." He then turned his attention towards the fire pit.

Sam mentioned, "We will need to find jobs to get more money."

Daniel thumbed through the oatmeal packets, "Whatever jobs we get will have to be under the table. We can't use our Social Security numbers or it will mess up the other us and we will be victims of identity theft." He removed the apple flavored oatmeal packet for his breakfast. He mentioned, "Not much left! Our rations are gone and the food we bought is nearly depleted."

Sam repeated, "We need to find jobs. Any job! Even cleaning…" she winced. Suddenly she couldn't use her degrees, she couldn't use her real name and everything she worked so hard to accomplish was gone for the next three years. She felt like a nobody! Someone who didn't exist in society but lived on the edge of the world and far away from civilization.

Jack stated, "Do what ya gotta do, Carter. Cleaning is way better than other stuff. If we need to clean to get by then we clean. I don't care what we clean…bathrooms, stalls…I don't care. It's way better than working the streets."

Daniel agreed, "Finding a job with no ID will be hard. It will be a hard labor job. Something that migrants would fill."

Sam figured, "This area has a lot of farms and ranches! Maybe we can find jobs working for one?"

"Possible," he agreed "And a farm or ranch might even have a house for us to stay in." He looked to Jack, "That can provide us with shelter and no more camping."

Jack smirked, "We should just contact George, tell what happened and he can put us up in a hotel for the next three years."

Sam disagreed, "We need to stay as far away from Star Gate Command as possible. Contacting General Hammond would place the timeline at risk for we could accidentally tell him what happens in the next three years. We need to isolate ourselves as much as possible." She grabbed the toilet paper roll, "This is our last roll. We need supplies soon!" she informed and then stood up to go relive herself behind a tree.

Daniel asked Jack, "When we run out of toilet paper what do we use?"

"Leaves," he smirked at him.

He winced, "We better find jobs soon!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun melted the morning dew away as a horseback rider navigated a rustic trail. The horse's coat was a rich chestnut brown with a black mane running down the muscular neck. The rider was seated in the western style saddle and wore a long tan trench coat and wide brim floppy brown hat. A fallen log was across the trail before the horse and rider. The rider brought the mare to a halt before the log and dismounted by nearly sliding off the side of the horse. The hat slipped off the head exposing the young woman under the rugged clothing. Her hair was light brown and cut short to the bottom of the neckline. Her brown eyes settled on the log before her. Her lip curled annoyed by the obstacle. She reached up to the saddle and gathered a rope and then made her way over to the log. She wrapped the rope around the log a few times and then tied it off on the horn of the saddle.

"Come girl," she instructed the horse. "Come on Sandy. Pull the log!"

The horse dug in and walked backwards pulling the log across the trail and over to the side.

"Good girl," she assured the horse then she gathered the rope pleased the tree was now moved out of the way. As she reached into her pocket for a piece of carrot to reward the horse she caught a whiff of smoke on the breeze. She sniffed the air, "I think we got us some trespassers, Sandy." She gathered herself and climbed back in the saddle once more. She started down the trail further following the smoke in the air.

Soon she rounded a bend and came to a campsite. Before her were two men and a woman eating oatmeal. She called out, "This here is private property! If you all are hikers the state trail is ten miles to the west." She looked over the motley crew. She noticed all three wore the same kind of black boots and found that rather odd.

Jack looked up at the woman on the horse who came across the campsite. He tried to play dumb, "This isn't state land?" he asked.

"Nope," she shook her head. "This here is my land. This is Boulder Hill Ranch."

Jack glanced at his team and then back at the land owner, "Oh! Well…um…We thought it was state land. You what? Own the whole mountain or something?"

"Matter of fact," she nodded, "It's a twenty-five thousand acres. Mostly all hills and I do occasionally find campers and hunters on the hill…" She then noticed the butt of Jack's sidearm poking out from the waistline of his jeans. "You need to get permission to hunt on my land!" she informed.

Daniel assured her, "We're not hunting. We're just camping."

She noticed, "No tent!"

He motioned, "We're roughing it." He pointed towards a makeshift shelter that was just a tarp tied to some trees.

Sam spoke up, "We're migrants! We're looking for work." She hoped they could be directed where to find a job for they needed funds soon.

"Migrants?" she asked unsure if that was true. They looked more like a homeless group than migrant workers to her. "You all are family?"

Daniel slowly nodded figuring it would make a good cover, "Yes…we are!" He smirked to Jack, "Right…Dad." he mocked for Jack had graying hair and he did not.

Jack gave him a displeased look of shock, "What?"

Sam figured the cover story would help them find work. She added, "We're kind of…Homeless…right now. We're looking for work if you know anyone who is hiring."

Jack sat growling at Daniel, "Dad!"

Sam tried to draw attention away from Daniel's joke. She stood up and made her way closer to introduce herself, "I'm Sam! This is Daniel and…" she felt funny calling Jack for she was use to calling him "Sir" or "Colonel".

"I'm Dad!" Jack huffed rather annoyed.

The owner acknowledged, "I'm Anna. Anna Hunter! My family founded the town. I could use a few extra hands but I can't pay ya much. I do have a migrant house you can stay in." she offered.

The offer was a godsend for SG-1. They eagerly accepted. Jack and Daniel both stood up to greet the new employer.

Daniel smiled, "Sounds good to us. You have no idea how badly we need jobs."

Sam found herself making friends with the horse. She petted the nose of the animal and side of the face. "What a beautiful horse!" she mentioned. She then looked up to Anna, "Thing is we don't have any papers or ID. Does that matter?"

"That's fine," she told her noticing the horse's reaction. "Sandy doesn't usually let a stranger pet her. She's a good judge of character. She likes you for some reason."

Sam grinned, "I always liked horses."

Daniel figured the key was passing the test with the horse's reaction to them. He reached out and petted her for he was familiar with horses from his younger days traveling with his parents. He looked over to Jack, "She's a nice horse."

Jack reached over to pet the horse and she took a step back. She would let Sam and Daniel pet her but not Jack. He stood with a peeved look, "She doesn't like me."

Daniel laughed, "You are an acquired taste, Jack."

Anna spoke, "I thought you said he was your father."

Daniel quickly replied, "Older brother! Sometimes he just likes to boss us around like he's our dad. We're all…siblings…" he excused glancing at Sam to agree with the cover story.

"You three have a last name?" Anna wondered.

Daniel and Jack traded stares to see who would get the last name out first to use. Neither Daniel nor Jack wanted to use the other's name. Sam quickly announced, "Carter! Our last name is Carter. I'm Sam Carter and these two are my brothers" Jack and Daniel…Carter!" She smirked at the pair.

Anna recalled, "I knew a Jack Carter once! He's a sheriff in this weird little town."

Daniel kept his lips tightly pressed together as he held in the laugh.

Jack huffed, "You don't say!" He threw an angry look to Sam.

Anna instructed, "You all have to break down this camp. I'll show ya to the house you can use."

Daniel smiled at her, "Sounds good, Anna."

**Later That Day**

Jack, Sam and Daniel hiked the trail to the homestead of the old ranch. The house was a single level, wide open home with a front porch and large windows. The siding was painted red and the porch pillars made of local stone. A large oak tree loomed in the front yard and an old well with a bucket was perched in the back. A single level red and green metal barn was off to the west of the home for the horses and another, much older classic style wooden barn with a gable roof was to the east. A modern garage was located at the end of the dirt driveway.

In a way the ranch reminded Jack of his cabin. He smirked to himself, "Needs a pond!"

Anna emerged from the smaller barn after securing Sandy the horse. She wiped the dirt from her hands as she spied the trio, "I see ya made it." She came to her guest.

Jack smiled, "This is nice! I like the setup ya got going here."

Sam agreed, "This is very nice."

Daniel added, "Thank you for not calling the cops and letting us stay."

"Welcome," she replied. "The migrant house needs some work before you can move in. My father used to hire and house the workers and I haven't used it since he died. Any of you handy with a hammer and saw?" she asked looking them over.

Jack nodded, "I know some carpentry."

"Good," she gave a nod. "I'll bring you down to the house tomorrow morning. Tonight, you three can stay in my house. When was the last time you had a bath and a good night's sleep?" she wondered figuring they had been homeless for a while for they looked rather rough to her.

"About a week," Jack told her.

"You and your brother and sister are welcome to use the bathroom." she assured them. She noticed the each had a large military style backpack that contained their belongings, "That all you got?" She found it rather odd they had combat boots and military backpacks and she did noticed Jack had a gun earlier. She wondered if maybe they were not entirely truthful but at the same time they appeared to need help.

"This is it!" Jack confirmed.

"Okay," she shrugged unsure and waved for them to follow. "You can put your packs on the porch. I'll show you inside." She got to the backdoor of the homestead and turned towards Jack. "I have a safe to store your gun in."

He tried to play dumb, "Gun?"

She pointed towards his waist, "I can see the butt sticking out."

"It's just for protection." he assured her.

"Obviously!" she agreed. "There are bears and cougars living in the woods. I have a safe you can lock it up in when you do not need it." She assumed that only Jack was armed and he was acting as a big brother to his siblings.

Sam stated, "We would appreciate the use of the gun safe."

Curiously Anna asked, "How many of you are armed?"

Daniel pushed up his glasses, "We all are…Handguns and rifles!"

Jack winced and bit his lip for he didn't want that information to go beyond them.

Anna tried to figure out where they could be hiding rifles. "What ya guys got? Take down rifles!" She referred to a common small game hunting rifle that would disassemble into two parts.

"Yes," Jack nodded forcefully.

"Okay," she assumed it had to be a civilian rifle they carried in the packs. She walked through the door and led them into the kitchen. "This is the kitchen," she stated the obvious.

Sam looked about and discovered a kitchen that seemed to be stuck in time. It was decorated with rose pattern wallpaper and hardwood floor. The refrigerator looked to be from the 1940's era. She noticed a lack of a dishwasher and found an old style large porcelain sink. She then spied an oak round table with matching chairs near the large window. She took in the feel of the nostalgia, "This is nice."

"Thanks!" Anna stated. "That fridge is older than me! I just hope it doesn't die on me." She continued, "I'll show you the rest of the house." She led them through the kitchen and into homestead that seemed to be stuck in time.

The living room was also richly decorated with hardwood accents and white walls. The sofa was hidden under a red and black checkered wool blanket used as a cover. Two leather chairs sat near a fireplace. The far wall housed a set of built-in bookshelves that was loaded with old books. A wooden coffee table from about the 1960's era was before the sofa. The floor was also hardwood and covered with scatter rugs.

"Living room," she motioned. She started down the hallway, "Bedrooms are this way. Sam, you can have my old bedroom from when I was a kid. Jack, Daniel, you two can share room for now. The other bedroom I use for a home office."

Jack looked to Sam, "I can always share with you." He gave a mischievous grin.

"I don't think so," she shook her head.

"There is a bathroom you three can share at the end of the hallway. I have the master bedroom and bath on the other side of the house. Once you three get settled in you can find me in the little barn." she told them.

"Gun safe?" Jack asked.

"In my office." she told them. She led them into her office which seemed to reflect Daniel's office with a messy desk and loads of paperwork piled about. In the corner was a large green gun safe. She walked over and opened the safe with a code. "You can store any valuables in here."

Jack noticed the gun safe was empty. He wondered, "You don't use it?"

"My father had it for when he was a hunting guild and had the clients store their rifles and gear when not in use." she explained.

"Ah," Jack gave a nod. He figured she was accustom to having strangers come into the home armed due to the hunting guide business her father had in the past and thus was not scared of them as one would expect.

She walked to her desk and scribbled down a number on a note paper, "Here's the combination. You three can use the safe for now." She handed Jack the paper. "Here! Lock it up and I have some chores outside for you three to do."

He took the paper, "Sounds good." he agreed.

"See you outside," she told them and then left the office.

Sam noted, "She's rather trusting." She motioned towards the piles of paperwork. "Anyone of us could go through her papers and things."

Daniel stated, "Well…We did pass the horse test." He glanced at Jack, "Except you."

Jack rolled his eyes annoyed.

Daniel glanced over some of the files, "Looks like a lot of bills and tax forms and such. Maybe she can't afford to hire help but needs help?"

Sam figured, "That could be."

Jack stated, "We won't be here long. We save up some money and move on."

"We can't!" Sam disagreed. "That other Stargate is on her property. We have to stay to make sure nothing else comes through. We can't dial out but someone can still dial in."

Jack rolled his head back, "We have to stay to babysit that other Gate."

"Yes," she told him.

"Great," he rolled his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A few days had passed since SG-1, minus Teal'c, had come to the ranch. Jack found the old migrant home would need a new roof, foundation repair and interior repair. It would take weeks to repair to make livable and require money that Anna didn't seem to have. For now, they remained in the main homestead with Anna who lived by herself.

Anna didn't have any hired hands and ran the ranch alone. She paid SG-1 what she could but they figured there was some serious financial trouble brewing for the woman. Jacl was informed that she sold off all the cattle last year and let go of the last of the hired hands she had at that point. Her father's guild business stopped with his death a few years back. Her mother died before her father and she did state that the family had the land since the 1800's.

Jack found Anna sitting in her office going over papers on her desk. He softly spoke, "How's it going?" He stood in the doorway sporting jeans and gray t-shirt.

She glanced up and gave a halfhearted smile, "As well as to be expected I guess."

"Can I have a seat?" he motioned towards a nearby chair.

"Sure," she agreed.

He soon sat down and cocked his head to the side. He asked, "How much in hock are ya?"

She let out a sigh, "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the land. I'm looking to start selling off building parcels. There is a developer who wants to put in a housing track."

"Doesn't sound too bad." he told her.

"It's not that I want to sell," she confessed "I might have to. When my mom got cancer it was a very aggressive kind. The doctors said she wouldn't live long and my father wouldn't hear it. He went through all our savings, took out loans, anything to find a cure. She lasted longer than the doctors thought she would but after she died my father just lost all will to go on and he stopped caring about his business. He stopped the hunting guide work. Then, during that time some hunter trespassed on our property and found one of the old tree stands my father had left up. He fell out and broke his leg and then sued us for having a negligent tree stand. He didn't win but it cost a lot in legal fees even though he was trespassing. Our insurance went sky high because of the lawsuit. I tried to take over and run the cattle business and I did for a while. My father died from a broken heart and every year my taxes go up and I have fallen behind on making them. So, I got medical bills, lawyer bills, insurance bills and back taxes to pay. I need to come up with a million dollars and I have no income."

"That's tough," Jack winced.

"You and your family are welcome to stay as long as you want but I don't know what or when I can pay ya." she warned.

"Don't worry about it." he assured her.

"Thanks," she gave a sigh of relief for she felt like she now owed even more money than before. She mentioned, "I got a set of old dishes I'm taking to the antique shop to sell. You're welcome to come." she offered.

"Sure," he figured he could help.

"This way," she stood up and led him out the door to the kitchen. On the table were two large boxes that she had Sam pack earlier.

Sam was at the old stove waiting for the percolator to make a fresh batch of coffee. She wore blue jeans and a red sweat shirt with sneakers. She stated, "I got that antique set of dishes packed. What are you doing with them, Anna?"

Jack spoke up, "She's selling them."

"Those dishes are beautiful," she sighed wished Anna could keep the dishes for she adored the set.

"I need some cash." she told her.

Jack asked, "Coffee?" He smirked at her for Anna did not have a modern coffee maker.

She figured, "It's almost done." She spied Anna go to a large box, "That's heavy!"

Anna picked up the box with ease. "Not too much," she replied. She then turned backwards and managed to open the door while steadying the box before going outside to place the box of dishes in her old white Ford pickup truck.

Jack lifted the other box and noted, "These do weigh a bit."

"That's the light box," Sam told him rather baffled. "That box had to weigh close to forty pounds." she insisted.

Jack stated, "Get the door!"

She opened the door for him and watched was he walked the second box of dishes out to the truck and then stood outside wondering how come Anna was able to lift the box with such ease.

Anna called to Sam, "Jack can help me bring the dishes into town. Can you Daniel take the two horses and patrol the trails when we are gone. Hunting season will be soon and I can't let any trespassers get on the land to set up stands."

"We can do that." she agreed still baffled at how easy it was for Anna to move a box that she knew was rather heavy. Sam found it odd for Anna was much shorter than she was didn't seem any stronger.

Jack stated, "Take a sidearm with ya, Carter. Don't let anyone put up any tree stands." He climbed into the cab of the truck worried about the potential trespassers that Anna spoke of. He looked over and asked, "What ya selling the dishes for?"

"To buy food and pay you guys." she replied. She found Jack called Sam by her last name rather odd since they were supposed to be siblings. She began to doubt the sibling story for none of the bunch looked much like one another.

He stated, "Just get the food and don't worry about paying us. You are letting us live here for free."

"That's part of your compensation." she disagreed.

"Just buy food and pay the bills." he insisted. "Don't worry about us."

She gave a heavy sigh, "I'm keeping a record of hours worked and how much I owe you."

"Don't worry about it!" he insisted.

"I don't like owing others." she told him.

"You don't!" he replied.

**Meanwhile**

Sam had gathered Daniel and pair started to patrol the property looking for signs of trespassers. It was apparent the trails had not been kept up in some time as they came across fallen trees and overgrowth. Sam found herself riding Sandy and Daniel had saddled up a light cream colored mare named Ginger. Sam noticed upon pulling some trees off the trails that Sandy seemed much stronger for the tasks than Ginger. Both horses seemed healthy but she found it rather odd.

As they continued on the trail after moving another fallen tree Sam looked over to Daniel, "Is it me or does Sandy have more pulling power than Ginger?"

"It's not you," he agreed. "I noticed Sandy can pull larger logs than Ginger and Sandy is much older than Ginger is."

"She is?" she asked him.

"Anna had Sandy as a child. Ginger she got five years ago." he informed. "Did you know that Anna is thirty?"

"I thought she was around twenty," she confessed.

He shook his head, "She's thirty and she got Sandy for her tenth birthday. Sandy is twenty years old. That's old for a horse but she had no gray on her coat and acts like a young pony at times."

"Wow," Sam glanced down at the back of the horse. "I wonder why that is."

Daniel shrugged, "I don't know! Fresh mountain air maybe."

Up ahead on the trail was blocked by a small landslide of rocks and rubble from the recent rains. They came to a halt and quickly figured they needed to shovel the pile of rocks out of the way and clear the old trail. They dismounted the horses and retrieved two shovels that were packed to the saddles.

Daniel got to the pile first and sank the shovel into the dirt. He gathered up the first scoop and then tossed the debris off to the side of the trail. As he started to clear he noticed the rocks in the dirt looked strangely familiar and different from regular rocks. He squatted down and picked up a rock in his hand, "Hey Sam! Look at this." He held it up before his eyes.

She retrieved the rock from his hand and examined it. Her mouth dropped, "Daniel! This is naquadah ore."

"Wait!" He pondered. "We just got a hold of a large mine in Utah…" his mouth dropped upon figuring that Anna's land housed the ore bed.

She grinned, "Anna's mine!" She looked at the large rock, "It's worth billions. Anna's money troubles are over. All we have to do is send this rock sample in and she will be set for life." She then wondered, "I wonder if it was us who found the mine?"

Daniel stood back up and asked, "You think we found the mine. That we went back in time, found the mine and then we left…" he tailed off.

"It's self-fulfilling." she nodded with a grin. "And Anna's worries about money are over. She can go buy any ranch she wants with the kind of money she can get for this." She then figured, "I know why the Sandy and Anna seem so strong. This morning Anna lifted a box that I could barely move. Sandy drinks the spring water and has so for twenty years. I bet it's loaded with naquadah ions. Same with Anna! She's was born here. Her father was born here…" she squinted in thought.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"If the water source is naquadah enriched then that could have affected Anna's family for generations. That would enhance her physically." she figured. "I need to get a blood test done on her to see what kind of levels she has in her blood. She could sense a Goa'uld." She looked at Daniel, "We need the mine and the smaller Gate that's hidden in the cave. Anna could be an asset to us if she can sense a Goa'uld. I'm not sure what generations of exposure to naquadah would do but it's obviously affected her strength and kept her and Sandy both looking rather young. I need to have the water tested, blood test run on Anna and the animals…Ourselves too! We've been drinking the same water."

"Should we get a hold of George and tell him what happened?" he wondered.

"We can't affect the timeline." she replied. "We do get the mine in Utah. I'm not sure how we got it. I was just told we found a mine in Utah. It has to be Anna's mine." she concluded. She then cocked her head, "Why didn't Teal'c go with us again?"

"He had to go to Chulak for his son." Daniel recalled.

She squinted, "Do you think that might have been an excuse so he would not go back with us?"

He shrugged, "It could be!"

Sam determined, "We might need to get a hold of Teal'c."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The old white Ford pickup truck came to a stop at an intersection in town. Anna glanced over at Jack as she waited for the light to turn while they sat alone at the traffic-less crossroad. "You…ah…ever been in the military, Jack?" she wondered.

"I was," he gave a nod. "Why ya ask?"

"I noticed you, Sam and Daniel all were wearing combat boots and your backpacks were all military style. Then you carry that pistol and I was wondering…" she tried to explain.

"Ah," he gave a nod figuring she spied some of their gear prior.

She rambled on, "It's not a bad thing. I've always supported our military. I even got accepted into the Air Force Academy."

The statement perked Jack's attention. He cocked an eyebrow, "You got into the Air Force Academy! Did you go?"

"I couldn't," she shook her head. "My mom got sick with cancer and my dad needed help on the ranch. So, I stayed. I did get my private pilot's license though. For a while I did crop dusting with his bi-plane. I had to sell that plane a few years back." She let out a depressed sigh, "It was fun to fly it." The light changed green and she proceeded through the dead intersection.

"Ever think of going to the Academy now?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "I'm too old! I'm thirty and I'm past the enrollment age. Plus, I could never keep up with the bunch of eighteen year olds."

He countered, "You look about twenty and I think you can keep up with the cadets. I've seen you work. You're up at 4 am. You get a ton of stuff done before breakfast." He made a motioned with his finger, "You can run circles around those cadets."

"What branch of the military were you in, Jack?" she wondered.

"Air Force," he smirked. "I was a colonel!"

Her mouth dropped, "Serious!"

He nodded, "Yup!"

She pulled to the front of the local antique shop and parked the vehicle. It was a quaint main street with old brick buildings. She looked over at him, "You really think I would have made it through the Academy if I went?"

"I do!" he insisted. "Heck, you would have made an excellent officer. I've seen you lead Sam and Daniel on the ranch. You don't sit back and tell us all what to do. You get out and lead the way. That's what makes a good leader." He opened the door and climbed out of the truck. He walked a few strides to the tailgate and opened it as Anna met him at the rear.

"You think I can lead?" she nearly chuckled. "I can barely cross the street without getting run over at times."

Jack glanced up and down the street and found not a single car in sight. "Does the street ever get busy?" he wondered.

"On the weekends," she nodded. "The local bar is hopping."

"Ah," he gave another nod and then grabbed the heavy box of dishes. He dragged it to the tailgate and tried to pick the box up and found it was extremely heavy. "Wow! You picked this up!"

"Oh' it's not that heavy," she shook her head and grabbed the box and lifted it with ease. "Can you get the other or should I take both."

Jack picked up the other box and stated, "There is no way you can carry both these boxes."

"Really?" she smirked back thinking he was teasing her. She placed the heavy box down on the tailgate and then grabbed the box from Jack's hands and placed it on the top of the heavier box. She then wrapped her arms around the bottom of the larger box and lifted the two boxes at once.

Jack stood with his mouth open, "That's really heavy!"

"Just open the door!" she told him annoyed.

He shook his head for he knew the two boxes would be a struggled for him to lift and carry. He got to the front door of the shop and opened it as she walked inside. He entered behind her amazed that she lifted and carried the boxes with ease. His eyes scanned over the inside. There was furniture, old metal signs and vintage toys many of which reminded him of his childhood.

Anna placed the two heavy boxes on the oak table in the middle of the room. "Carl!" she called.

From the back of the room and red headed man wearing jeans and a solid yellow cotton shirt emerged. He had thinning hair and thick black rimmed glasses. He greeted, "Anny!"

"I got those dishes that you've been wanting." she motioned towards the boxes.

He came to the boxes before him and opened the top box. He lifted a golden rimmed tea cup from the inside packaging. "The whole set?" he asked her. He simply gave Jack and smile and nod in greeting.

"Whole set," she sighed.

"I'll get the cash." he told her and left the room the way he came in.

Jack picked up the tea cup, "This real gold on it?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Carl soon returned with large bills. He handed it to her, "Five hundred dollars."

"You know this is worth more." she reminded him.

"I need to make a profit to stay in business." he replied.

She took the money, "Thanks for this."

"I'm here if you want to sell anything else from that old homestead." Carl reminded her.

"I might be back sooner than later." she told him. "Come on, Jack! Time to do some grocery shopping."

**Meanwhile**

After returning from the patrol Daniel and Sam tried to think of what was the best way to get a hold of Teal'c and not interfere with the timeline. Daniel went to the old rotary phone on the wall in the kitchen. He lifted the black plastic handset, "We can call his cell phone."

"What if he's off world?" Sam asked.

"We can leave a message." he figured. He dialed the number and much to his surprise Teal'c answered.

The Jaffa started, "I neither am not purchasing insurance, credit reports, vacation packages, another phone service, long distance service nor am I interested in a membership services for entertainment of any sort." He declared assuming the unknown number was another telemarketer.

"Teal'c!" Daniel cried nearly jumping for joy. "It's me, Daniel!"

"DanielJackson?" he asked confused.

"Just listen to me! Remember when we went back in time to 1969?" he began.

"Indeed," the Jaffa replied.

"Sam, me and Jack all went back in time three years. There are two versions of me, two versions of Sam and two versions of Jack on Earth right now. We are trying to avoid ourselves until we catch up to when we left. You weren't with us on the dial-out that sent us back. So, we think it's safe to contact you."

Teal'c listened carefully. "I see."

"We have been here about two weeks now. Our rations are gone, we got some civilian clothes and we are working on a ranch on Utah to get money. We can't go back through the Gate like we did before. We have to wait out the three years. Hammond doesn't know yet. We are trying to avoid running into ourselves and changing the timeline."

"I see," he repeated.

Daniel went on, "The ranch we are working is sitting on top a huge naquadah mine. The military acquired it right before we left on the dial out that sent us back. The property has natural springs and well water. Sam and I think the water has naquadah in it. We have samples to send in for analysis. The ranch is in financial trouble and we also found a much smaller second Stargate hidden in a cave on the property. That's how we got back to Earth and not using our Gate. Teal'c, we will need your help until we can catch up to when we left."

"Indeed," the Jaffa agreed.

"Can you come to Utah?" he asked him.

Teal'c paused and figured, "I shall."

"Great!" he sounded relived. "I'll give you the address."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a few days since Daniel contacted Teal'c. The Jaffa had to take time off from the SGC armed with the excuse of visiting Earth's magnificent parks to visit the slightly older version of his friends who were hiding out in Utah. He drove the black SUV up the long driveway as his brown eyes scanned the area. The colorful fall forest, rolling hills and large swaths of field was most pleasing to the Jaffa. He soon parked the SUV by the white pickup truck. He then emerged wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt and a knit cap sporting a black leather jacket. He closed the door and started for the home.

Sam spotted him first as she had been tending to the lawn. She dropped the rake and grinned as she came to meet him, "Teal'c!" She then eagerly embraced her friend whom she had not seen in weeks.

"CaptainCarter," he greeted in return.

She warned, "It's Major now but don't use any military titles, Teal'c. Anna doesn't know the truth. Just call us by our first names." she requested.

"Anna?" he questioned.

"She's the owner," she quickly explained. "Anna Hunter."

"I see," he gave a nod.

"Come on," she motioned for him to follow. "I'll introduce you to her. Jack and Daniel are putting up posted signs for trespassers." She led him into the old home and found Anna in the kitchen, with her back to them with an odd expression on her face.

Anna turned and looked right at Teal'c, "Wow! That was weird."

Sam asked, "What?"

"I got this real strange feeling when he pulled into the driveway." she admitted. "You must be their friend, Teal'c. I'm Anna." she offered a handshake in greeting and shook off the odd feeling.

Sam quickly figured Anna must have sensed the Goa'uld larva that Teal'c carried and needed to live. Soon, Sam knew that he would benefit from a serum and could live without it but that time was still years away. Thus, for Sam, Anna had proven she could sense a Goa'uld as she theorized.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Sam waved it off knowing it was something. "Teal'c is a geologist and I told him about the odd rocks I found and he has come to inspect them."

"Help yourself," she motioned towards some rocks that Sam in a bucket nearby that she found to silly. To Anna they were just rocks.

Teal'c went to the nearby steel bucket bent down and lifted one of the samples that Sam had gathered. He quickly deduced, "This is naquadah ore."

"Knock-a-what?" Anna asked baffled.

He stood and informed, "Naquadah is a highly dense mineral with many applicable properties. It's often used for powering apparatuses."

Sam suggested, "It's like lithium used in batteries."

She cocked an eyebrow, "You think I'm sitting on a lithium mine?"

"Naquadah," Sam corrected, "Kind of close but naquadah is worth far more."

She laughed thinking it must be a joke, "Great! Cut me a check."

Teal'c wasn't sure why Anna thought it was funny for to him naquadah was more valuable than gold or any other element. Before he could reply Daniel and Jack walked in the door, both dressed much like ranch hands with jeans and flannel shirts.

"T!" Jack greeted with a grin.

"Teal'c," Daniel gave a smile walking in behind Jack.

Teal'c started to reply, "Colonel…" Oops! He remembered Sam had told him to use first names and not titles. He caught himself and paused fearing he exposed Jack.

Anna grinned, "Wow, your friends still call you 'Colonel Carter'! That's so cool to have friends who recognize your service, Jack."

Teal'c stood even more baffled than before.

Sam beamed, "My older brother, Jack isn't used to being called 'Colonel'."

Teal'c turned to Jack wondering what he was missing.

Jack tried to debrief him, "We're a family! Sam and Daniel are my young twin siblings." he stated frustrated making up the claim of twins on the spot.

Anna stood wide-eyed, "I didn't know Sam and Daniel were twins. That's so neat!"

"They are the wonder twins!" Jack huffed angry he was called "Colonel Carter" by Anna.

Daniel explained softly to Teal'c, "We're siblings and our last name is Carter."

"I see," he replied and kept a straight face. He understood Jack would have labeled them the O'Neill family if given a chance and somehow Sam's last name was chosen. He then found a pleasant smell filling his nostrils. He started to sniff the air.

Anna stated, "That's the pot roast cooking. Would you like to stay for diner, Teal'c?"

"Indeed," he beamed.

**Short Time Later**

Sam noticed Anna tended to eat more than most women but didn't realize that she ate more like a Jaffa until she sat beside Teal'c and both a loaded up plates of food. The naquadah gave a kindred bond between Teal'c and Anna even though Anna was not aware of the properties associated with the mineral. She just instantly liked Teal'c and found him entertaining and intriguing. She assumed he was a foreigner from another country and the thought that he was from another world never crossed her mind.

Anna was in the middle of telling Teal'c a story. She continued, "So…There we were. My dad was at the stick of the biplane and I was on horseback. The wheel fell off so he couldn't land. I got the wheel, the hammer and a pin and rode bareback on Sandy as my father throttled back the plane. I got underneath, stood up while Sandy was in a gallop and got a hold of the landing gear axel bar. I got the wheel back on with the couple of hits from the hammer and then got the retaining pin in so he could land. Right after we did that, Sandy decided she needed a drink, went right for the river and came a dead stop and placed her head down and I went over her neck and right into that river." She then added, "My dad thought that was hilarious!"

Jack told her, "Your horse hates me! Good job with the plane though."

"She does not." she argued.

"She comes up behind me and head-butts me in the back." he proclaimed.

Anna mentioned, "Sandy loves you. She used to do that to my dad all the time."

He waved his fork, "Your horse is weird."

Daniel stated, "Most people can't stand on a horse bareback and fix a wheel on a plane in flight, Anna. That takes a lot of skill and strength."

Jack stated, "She's strong as a mule, Daniel. I bet she could arm wrestle some guys I know."

Anna blushed, "I'm not that strong."

Sam stated, "You are sitting on a naquadah mine and if the local water supply is contaminated with naquadah ions that could affect you, Anna. Naquadah can make you stronger. And since you and your father were born here and this is a generational ranch, we don't really know the long term affects it could have on you."

"You think this stuff could have caused my mom's cancer?" she gulped in fear.

"No," she shook her head, "if anything it might have kept the cancer at bay and kept her alive longer. In order to find out if you have been exposed we would need to run some blood work."

She shook her head with a laugh, "Oh' good luck with that! I break needles."

"Huh?" Sam asked bewildered.

"Whenever the doctor tried to give me a shot the needle breaks. They can't draw blood or give me shots because the needle always breaks." she stated.

Sam gasped, "Seriously!"

She nodded, "Seriously!"

"Hmm," Sam had a pondering look on her face as she debated why the needles would break.

Jack looked Anna dead in the eye and stated, "I would give anything to have ability!"

Daniel chuckled, "Any other superhero abilities, Anna?"

She shrugged, "I don't think breaking needles is a superhero ability. If you could one superhero ability then what would it be, Daniel?"

He pondered, "Maybe read minds or telepathy."

Jack rolled his head back, "That's so…Daniel! If I could have one superhero ability is would be flying…and being bullet proof."

"Ha-ha," Daniel chuckled to himself.

Jack looked at Sam, "And you…sis?"

"The power of persuasion," she smirked back.

Anna asked, "How about you, Teal'c?" She wasn't told much about the emblem on his forehead but figured it was some kind of strange religious symbol.

"I would be a Jedi." he proclaimed. "And you, AnnaHunter?"

She figured, "I would simply own a printing press."

Jack asked, "Why?"

"I could make my own money!" she figured.

"Making your own money is not a superpower." he countered.

"Tell that to the rich." she smirked back.

"This is serious!" Jack shot back. "Would you rather be able to fly or be bullet proof and have spider senses…or…."

She shook her head, "You read too many comic books."

"Shoot webs from your wrist?" Jack asked.

"No," she replied.

"Super hearing!" he suggested.

She simply gave a sigh.

"See in the dark!" he added.

"I can already see in the dark." she miffed.

"Not like with nigh vision," Jack challenged.

She rolled her eyes.

Jack got an idea, "Okay! You and me will have a little contest tomorrow morning. Let's see how far you can run."

"Fine," she gave in.

"Teal'c can come with us." Jack stated knowing Teal'c could out run him.

The Jaffa sat displeased for he would rather use his vacation time to sleep in but now he had two versions of SG-1 to contend with.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Jack dragged himself back to the homestead early the next morning he found Anna and Teal'c both had beat him back. He spied Sam keeping his time and soon collapsed by the porch steps. He drew a heavy breath, 'What was my time, Carter?" He knew his knees would get the better of him and silently kicked himself for instigating the morning run. His run time was bad. In his younger days he could have made that same run in ten minutes flat.

"Twenty minutes!" she replied knowing he set himself up. "Teal'c beat you by ten minutes. Anna beat Teal'c by two minutes."

He looked past Teal'c to Anna and stated, "You should have joined the Marines." He lay back trying to regain himself and his throbbing knees.

She asked him, "Why do you call your brother by his first name but your sister by her last?"

He excused, "Habit."

Daniel then called out from inside the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready!"

Anna and Teal'c both eagerly went inside to eat leaving Sam and Jack on the back porch. Jack looked over to Sam, "She's on to us."

"We can't tell her the truth." Sam countered.

Inside the kitchen Anna could hear the conversation through the screen door. Due to the naquadah in her blood from generations of exposure she had very keen senses as well as increased strength. She wondered what they weren't telling her. She liked her new friends and began to feel betrayed for they were keeping secrets from her. She tried to shake the thought from her mind and went to help Daniel set the table. She tried to make small talk, "We're you ever in the military, Daniel?"

"Nope," he replied. "I did contract work for the Air Force though."

"As what?" she wondered.

"Interpreter and archeological research." he informed.

She mentioned offhand, "There are some old archeological sites on my land if you ever want to see them." she offered.

"There is?" he asked wondering if she knew about the cave.

"There is a cave with this weird stone ring in it that I found when I was a kid. There another cave that got this weird hole in the middle of a wall with these hieroglyphs. I tried to decipher it but it's not in any language I can find in the library." she explained.

He stated, "I think you should show me the sites, Anna."

"Sure," she agreed. "Maybe you can help me figure out what all those weird symbols mean."

"Maybe," he smiled.

**Later That Day**

Jack had spent all morning cleaning horse stalls as Teal'c helped move heavy bags of grain, bales of hay and straw. The pair was grateful to get away from the dirty manual labor as the group hiked to the cave with Anna leading them.

As they walked Anna asked, "Any of you ever been married?"

The question seemed to come out of nowhere for SG-1. Sam glanced at her teammates and then replied, "I haven't! My…brothers…and Teal'c have all been married."

Anna asked the men, "Where are your wives?"

Daniel sighed, "My wife died."

"So sorry," she winced.

Jack admitted, "I'm divorced."

Teal'c said nothing for it was no one's business as far as he was concerned.

"Why did you divorce?" she wondered.

Jack grumbled, "I was a shitty husband."

Anna figured he didn't wish to continue to think about his former wife for some reason and it would be best to not push the issue. She went silent.

Sam wondered, "Why are you wondered if any of us were married?"

She dug under her shirt and pulled a chain, "I have my parents' wedding rings, my mom's engagement ring and I was wondering if anyone knew how much it could be worth." She then tucked the rings back under her shirt.

Jack figured, "You are selling your parents wedding rings?"

"I need to make a payment on a tax bill in five days." she confessed.

Sam stated, "Your land is very valuable. The naquadah under your feet is worth billions of dollars. You don't need to sell your family heirlooms to pay a tax bill. All you do is lease out the rights to mine the land. You will be set for life, Anna."

"The county won't approve that," she shook her head.

"Yes they will!" Sam insisted. "The county will make tons of money of this mine too."

"County board is corrupt!" she explained. "They want my land for themselves. They have buyers set up to purchase my land once they foreclose." She then figured, "They will simply hike my taxes even higher and close every option I have to keep it. Then they will foreclose and lease it out themselves."

Jack asked, "You really think the county will steal your land like that?"

"They have been after my land for years now." she insisted. "After my father died they saw dollar signs and have been trying to foreclose ever since."

Sam insisted, "You will keep your land."

"I don't know about that," she rebutted shaking her head "but I can tell you this: I won't go down without a fight."

Daniel understood just how difficult state entities could be. He soothed, "We're right here with you."

Jack asked as they continued to hike the trail, "T! How much money you go saved up?" He looked back at his friend hiking behind him.

"Why do you ask?" he wondered.

"Can you float Anna a loan to make the tax payment?" he wondered.

Anna shook her head, "I have to come up with eight thousand dollars in five days. That's not on you, Teal'c."

"I shall assist you." he assured her.

She looked at him in disbelief and stuttered, "Y-you don't have to do that."

"I can and will." he announced.

"I'll find a way to pay you back." she promised.

"In time," Teal'c replied for Earth money had no true value for him since his needs were taken care of on Earth and the US dollar was not good for trade off world.

Anna motioned, "The cave is up ahead."

Soon they arrived at the cave entrance and she squeezed pass the rock. Using a flashlight she led them inside to the smaller Gate she found as a child. "I found this when I was a kid." She came to a sudden halt for she found footprints in the dirt. She shined the light on the prints and realized they were from some kind of boot. She found more than one set of prints. SG-1 spied the prints as well. They forgot about their prints being in the cave as they left prior.

Anna turned and shined the light on them. "You have been here before!" she accused.

Sam replied, "Anna…we can explain…"

She stood beside herself, "Just who the hell are you and why are you on my land?" She grew suspicious of the true intent. She wondered if they wanted to steal her land as well. Perhaps, they worked for the town and they were part some conspiracy to get off the land.

Jack walked past and huffed, "In here!" He continued until he reached the smaller Stargate they had come through prior. He stood before the smaller Gate and waited for his friends to gather around him. He looked at Anna and stated, "My name is not Jack Carter. It's O'Neill! I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill of the US Air Force." He then pointed to Sam, "That is Major Samantha Carter is the US Air Force and Daniel is Dr. Daniel Jackson. We're a military Special Forces team. Daniel and Carter can tell all about this thing behind me." He motioned towards his team, "Daniel! Carter!"

Daniel stepped closer to the Gate. He took a deep breath and motioned towards the symbols on the face of the ring. "Anna, these symbols…did you ever noticed them?"

She nodded, "I tried to figure them out when I was a kid."

"And what did you figure out?" he calmly asked her.

"I think they are some kind of star constellation symbol. Whoever built this ring was into star gazing." she concluded. She stepped closer, "The inner ring will move and so with the triangles on the outside. I have no idea what they used it for though. I can only assume it's some kind of calendar."

A smile crept across his face, "I knew you were smart. It took us years to figure out what the symbols mean. We call it a 'Stargate.' The people who made it are gone now but they seeded the galaxy, well many galaxies, with these gates that create a wormhole and can be used to connect one planet to another. Our Gate is three times the size as yours. We didn't know they made them this small."

"That ring is seven foot tall!" she replied shocked. "You mean there is something like this thing but bigger? You have something like this in the Air Force!"

Sam stated, "Yes! We do, Anna. Our Gate is actually 22 feet in diameter. It's just over three times the size. Ours was found in Egypt in 1928. We've had possession of it for some time and we have a working program where we can use our Gate to dial, like a phone, using the symbols as an address, to other planets. Normally, everything goes as planned but something went wrong and instead of going where we wanted to go the wormhole looped around, possibly hit a solar flare, and connected with your Gate and we emerged in this cave. Look at our prints, were came from the Gate and not from outside."

Anna looked down and sure enough the prints came from the Gate and not to the Gate. She asked, "Okay, so you guys are part some secret space force and you came here. But why stay here and not go back to your base?"

"We can't," Sam sighed. "The wormhole sent back through time by three years. There is another version of us already here and we can't interrupt the timeline so we have to lay low until the time we go back."

"You time traveled too?" she asked them unsure of the story.

"Teal'c was not with us but normally he comes on our missions." Sam explained. "We contacted Teal'c and told him what happened. Right before we went back we were informed of a large naquadah ore deposit that was found in Utah. Daniel and I didn't realize that was your land until we found the ore. That Stargate is made out of naquadah. It's an extremely rare mineral to find and this is the only known workable future mine on Earth. The last working mine was in Ancient Egypt over six thousand years ago."

Daniel added, "I know this is a lot to take in, Anna but we need to see the other cave you were telling me about. We didn't find that site."

"It's not far," she told them. "How does this thing work?" she wondered.

"It needs a power source and a computer to dial out," Sam explained. "The smaller Gate is designed for small cargo and limited persons to go through. Its system can only handle about three adults, maybe four. I think it might be something that was used for reconnaissance or perhaps scouting. I'm not sure to be honest."

"I see," she replied, "the other cave is this way." She then led then away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Further up the mountain was the entrance to a second dark cave. The entrance was hidden behind brush and not easily seen from the distance. It was apparent that no one had been in the cave for some time for no footprints were found in the dirt. As they shined the flashlights bugs and spiders were spotted on the walls and ceiling. They made their way back further to a wall with a small opening that was half the size of a regular doorway. Upon crawling through the team found another golden room with inscriptions on all four walls. In the rear wall was a familiar hole.

Jack shined a light, "Is that what I think it is?"

Daniel figured, "It could be!"

Anna made a face at them, "What? It's a hole!"

She walked over to the hole as Jack called out, "Don't get too close!"

She reached inside and removed a small burlap sack, "I used to hide things in there as a kid." She opened the sack and found a few silver dollars that she hid long ago, "Gosh…I forgot I would hide these old silver coins in there." She then grinned, "I have a few silver coins!" She figured she could sell the coins to help pay bills.

Sam walked over to the hole and inspected it. She found it was empty. She reported, "It's okay, sir. It's just a shell! Nothing is in it."

"No hand-thingy?" he asked relieved.

"Nope," she shook her head.

Daniel had been studying the inscription on the wall. He soon concluded, "This was exploratory outpost! They never completed it." He continued to read, "There are some references here that we haven't found before."

Sam wondered, "For what?"

"Power!" he deduced. He walked closer to one section of the wall and spied a Gate address. He squinted upon figuring out the message. "This is an address! Maybe it's to a depot of power units." He looked to Sam rather enthused and suggested, "ZPM depot!"

"If the depot still has the ZPM's then it would like hitting the jackpot." Sam figured.

Anna had been showing the old coins to Jack and asked rather baffled, "What's a ZPM?"

Sam explained, "Zero Point Modular. It's a power source that the people who made the Stargate, who we call the Ancients, made to power their technology. One ZPM can last a long, long time…Thousands of years…"

Jack stated, "It's a big battery!" He squinted at the coins and shined the light on one. He announced, "Hey Anna, these coins are really old. I think some are worth a bit to a collector. Let's bring them to Carl!" he grinned.

"They are old," she agreed.

Daniel figured, "We need to get off world and find the depot."

Jack asked, "How? The little gate needs power to run."

Teal'c figured, "You will require a generator to achieve the power."

Jack rebutted, "We would need a really big generator and getting that up here will be a hell of a feat not to mention the gas to run it."

Sam recalled, "About now is when we first started to test the new naquadah generators. A number were sent out for testing and one went missing for a while. Teal'c found it hidden in a storage facility and mislabeled but the odd thing was it had ample hours on it…" she tailed off as she suddenly figured out what really happened to the high tech generator. She wrinkled her face and concluded, "We must have used it."

Anna observed, "Boy this time travel stuff can really screw with your head."

Jack rolled his eyes, "A time loop is worse."

"What's a time loop?" she wondered.

He replied, "Living the same day over and over again."

"Like that movie with Bill Murray?" she asked.

"Like that!" he gave a hefty nod.

"So, when you catch up with yourself in three years can I come to your base and see the big Stargate?" she asked.

Sam stated, "We need to get you in sooner than that so Janet can run some test."

"Janet?" she wondered.

"Major Janet Frasier," Sam continued, "she's the base Chief Medical Officer. Thing is we are also in the base right now and none of us met you before we came here. So, if we did get you in the base it was without us knowing or meeting you."

Daniel added, "There are a lot of military and contract workers. She could have slipped in right under our noses. Especially, if General Hammond was aware of what had happened."

"What about the timeline thing?" Jack asked.

Sam figured, "We are part of the timeline but we just didn't know it. General Hammond must have known. Teal'c knew and I bet Janet would have known too." She then cautioned, "We just can't let ourselves know."

Jack complained, "Ya know…sometimes things get really…complicated."

Anna volunteered, "I'll help!"

"Why?" he asked her wondering what her motive was.

"Helping you guys will help keep my mind off the fact that I'm going to lose my home." she told him. "You said you guys got the mine in the next three years. That means this whole area will be a mining operation and I won't be able to live here and neither can my horses."

Sam agreed, "You won't be able to live here but General Hammond will help find you and your horses and new place when the time comes."

Jack added to cheer her up, "You'll like George! He's from Texas!"

**Few Days Later**

Teal'c was tasked with bring Anna to the SGC as Jack, Sam and Daniel took over the ranch in her absence. General Hammond received a phone call prior from Jack who tried to explain the situation the best he could be left the General more confused than before. He had Teal'c escort Anna directly to the infirmary upon arrival where he would meet the pair.

As Anna walked the hallway dressed much like a rancher in jeans and a pink and white flannel shirt she noticed everyone on the base were dressed in military uniforms. They soon came to Captain Samantha Carter's office and as they passed Anna snuck a peek inside where she saw Sam working on an artifact. She grew wide-eyed and spoke to Teal'c, "There really is another Sam here!"

"Indeed," Teal'c tried to keep her calm and not draw attention.

They continued down the hallway and she spied Daniel with longer hair in his office. He scowled at Jack who just broke a lamp.

"That's Daniel and Jack!" she gasped.

Teal'c tugged her to keep walking, "Indeed. Do not let them see you."

"His hair is different." she noticed.

"Indeed," he agreed. He led her to the infirmary and closed the door behind them for privacy. His rich coffee colored eyes settled on General Hammond and Major Frasier. He greeted the pair, "MajorFrasier,GeneralHammod. AnnaHunter, proprietor of Boulder Hill Ranch, Utah."

Janet stood up from behind her desk and asked, "There is another version of SG-1 living on your ranch that are three years from the future?"

She nodded, "Yes! Um…SG-1?" she asked.

General Hammond stated, "Our teams are given destination code names. SG-1, stand for Star Gate One. We have many teams. Now, how exactly did another version of SG-1 come to your service, Miss Hunter?"

"I found them camping on my land when I was clearing trails. They told me they were family…siblings." she explained. "They asked for a job and I needed help so I gave them a job. They didn't tell me about this place until after I told them about the ring on my property. They told me they found naquadah and apparently it's worth some money. Sam thinks I have it in my blood and it could be in the water supply. That's why she wanted me to come here and see you, Major Frasier."

"I can run some test," she assured her.

"Sam also said I can't let the Sam, Jack and Daniel here see me since they haven't met me yet." she recalled. "She said they had to keep a timeline."

Janet told her, "Sam would be the expert on that."

Teal'c stated, "There is another Star Gate on AnnaHunter's property. MajorCarter believes it can be activated to dial off world using the new naquadah generator in development. DanielJackson believes he might have found a depot that could contain more zero point modules."

A smile crept across Janet's face, "Sam gets a promotion in the next three years, huh!"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Good for her," she gave a nod of approval for her friend.

Teal'c spoke to Hammond, "AnnaHunter's ranch is in danger of foreclosure. We must secure the site for the future mine as well as the smaller Stargate that is on the land."

General Hammond asked, "Just where is your ranch located, Miss Hunter?"

"Hunter Creek in Utah," she replied. "It's been in my family since the 1800's. My great, great, great grandfather founded the town. After my mother got sick everything went downhill and now I owe back taxes, lawyer fees, and medical bills…regular bills. Sam mentioned leasing the property to a mining operation but once this ore deposit is announced to the county and town my taxes are gonna go through the roof. It's been based on farming capability before but since my father died they base it on private property value which is much higher. I've argued with them but it's like they want to force me off my property."

"I see," Hammond gave a nod in thought. "Securing the property is a necessity for the program. We could use federal laws under national security to secure it but under those laws you would only get the value of the property and not the mine. How many acres do you own?"

"Twenty-six thousand," she told him. "I own the mountain the ore is in."

Hammond took a deep breath, "I would like to see the property in person and SG-1. I will return with you when you are done here."

"Okay," she agreed.

Hammond ordered, "This is a need to know only. Teal'c, Major Frasier…Do not tell our SG-1 in this base about what has happened."

Anna asked, "Doesn't all of this kind shock you? I mean time travel and all?"

George gave a smile, "They went back in time before and I helped them return after writing a note to myself and hiding it in Captain Carter's pocket. I was a young officer then. The year was 1969!"

Anna wondered, "So this kind of crap happens to them normally?"

Hammond merely smiled.

Janet agreed, "Pretty much!"

"Wow!" she stood beside herself and then asked, "Have we met any aliens from space yet?"

Janet and George both looked to Teal'c.

Anna glanced over at her friend, "What? Teal'c! He's from another planet!" she gasped.

"I am Jaffa." he informed.

She stood flabbergasted, "Well…Damn…I've been riding with an alien from space and I didn't know it."

Janet told her, "You've been hanging around Colonel O'Neill I take it."

"Some," she agreed. "He reminds me of my late father." she admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"Just an observation," she mentioned. "General! Teal'c, I will let you know the results once Miss Hunter is done with her test."

"Very well," Hammond gave a nod and then left the office with Teal'c in tow.

Anna mentioned, "You gonna be using a needles on me?"

"I have to run some blood work." she nodded.

She smirked, "Good luck."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jack drove the old Ford pickup truck into town with Sam and Daniel all squeezed into the front seat. Sam sat between the pair on the bench seat grateful the pickup was an automatic transmission or else the shift stick would be sitting between her knees.

Daniel admitted, "I miss old trucks with seats like this."

Jack agreed, "You can just slide over or lay down and take a nap."

"True," he agreed. "I'm pretty sure that one coin is worth a bit of money. They melted most that were made from that mint in that year. So, if Carl tries anything I know that coin is worth at least ten thousand dollars as is. Maybe, even more!"

Sam asked him, "Did you tell Anna her coin was worth that much?"

"I wanted to surprise her." he replied. "I know how much she is struggling just to keep a roof over our heads and feed us. Too bad she gonna lose that house. Boy, that's a nice set up."

"Maybe not," Sam countered. "She can have the house moved to another property. With the kind of money she can get for the lease alone just to mine that ore bed she can have that house moved."

Jack wondered, "Where would we move her?"

"How about Colorado Springs," Sam suggested. "She had figured out the symbols on that smaller Star Gate as a child. I bet she could make a team."

"But she doesn't have any degrees." Daniel reminded her. "She's not Special Forces or military. How would Hammond justify bringing her in and her not look favored considering she owns the mine."

Jack figured, "She owns a naquadah mine, Daniel. She can do anything she wants." As he drove down Main Street he came to the only red light in the middle of the town. As he rolled to a stop he found that once again no other vehicles were at the intersection. He curled his lip displeased for it was a waste of time to sit for no other cars.

Daniel figured, "This light must be on a timer."

"Obviously," Jack sighed.

Sam looked about, "There isn't anyone else sitting here."

"I know," he agreed.

She wondered, "So why are we sitting here?" The situation seemed stupid to her and a waste of time.

"Screw it," Jack agreed and then proceeded through the traffic light. He then heard the yelp of a police siren behind him and suddenly a county patrol car was in the rear view mirror. "You got to be kidding me! What is this? Hazard County!" he referred to an old TV show. He pulled over and waited for the deputy. He could see the deputy climb out of the red and white patrol car. He wore a black uniform and was rather fat for a police officer. Jack squinted, "I got pulled over by Gomer?"

The fat officer waddled up to the side of the truck for he knew it was Anna's truck and he did not recognize the trio. Jack looked on the pudgy round face of his new nemesis. His eyes settled on the man.

"Deputy Harris," Jack greeted him upon spying the name tag.

"You know why I pulled ya over?" he asked huffing for breath.

"Um…" he winced he knew it was the red light.

"You ran a red light back there." the deputy stated still breathing heavy as if out of breath.

Daniel spoke up, "Actually we came to a full stop and then proceeded through the red light. We didn't run it."

Jack gave him a dirty look, "Now is not the time, Daniel."

"Can I see you driver's license and registration?" he requested.

Jack handed him his driver's license as Daniel retrieved the registration from the glove box. He handed the deputy the papers.

"Colorado huh," Deputy Harris asked. "This is Anny's truck. She knows you are driving it?"

"Yes," Jack stated. "She gave us permission."

The deputy looked at the three, "And just how do you three know Anny?"

Sam explained, "We are working for her at the ranch. She sent us into town to get supplies."

"And who are you, Miss?" he asked.

"Sam Carter." she replied.

"Can you three get out of the truck please?" the deputy asked figuring Anna was robbed. He was gonna be the hero of the day and catch the thieves in the act for he knew Anna was wary of strangers on her property after the hunter sued the family.

Daniel whined, "Oh' god!"

**Meanwhile**

Janet Frasier had grown more frustrated for every time she tried to draw blood from Anna's arm the needle broke. It was as if she could not get past the first lawyer of skin before hitting some kind of dense material. After the third needle broke, Janet looked at Anna and asked, "Does this happen often?"

She nodded, "Every time since I was a kid. The doctors gave up giving me shots or drawing blood."

She gave a heavy sigh and placed the last broken needle in a red container. "Looks like I will have to use a different method." she concluded.

"What method is that?" she wondered.

"Imaging scans," she determined.

Anna asked, "Will that hurt?"

"Nope," she informed "just kind of loud but no pain." She then wondered, "Was there ever a time when you could get a shot or have blood drawn?"

She nodded, "When I was little. I remember it hurt a lot and after a while they couldn't get any needle though and stopped."

"How often do you get a cold or sick?" she asked.

"Never," she shook her head.

"What about the dentist?" she asked.

She replied, "Never had a cavity and my teeth always are clean even when I forget to brush. I've gone to the dentist after eating and he always says how clean and straight my teeth are. I wonder if he's blind or is just flattering me."

"Open up," Janet instructed.

Anna complied.

She took her light and looked inside the mouth, "Your teeth do look real good." She retrieved a tongue depressor from a nearby jar and demanded, "Stick your tongue out and say 'Ah'."

"Ah," she did as asked.

Janet then retrieved a swab and took a saliva sample nearly making Anna gag. She placed the sample in a plastic bag, "I'll send this off to be examined." She then grabbed another instrument and looked into Anna's ears. "Boy, do you keep your ears clean."

"No," she shook her head.

Janet then went onto the eyes. She peered into the back of the eyes, "Retina looks good. I'll have you take a full eye examine as well." She then stood back and looked her patient over wondering how to get a blood sample. "Ever had surgery?"

"Nope," she shook her head.

"Ever badly cut your skin?" she wondered.

"I've taken to nasty falls but all I ever get is a scratch." she reported.

"The test might take longer than I initially thought. How long can you stay here?" she wondered. "Can you stay a couple of days?"

"I suppose," she winced for she wanted to go back home.

"I'll give you a set of BDU's to blend in so no one knows you are a civilian." she figured.

"BDU?" Anna asked.

"Battle Dress Uniform," she explained. "Old days we called them 'fatigues'."

"Oh' the green uniform." she understood.

"You can stay at my house for the night," she offered for she wanted to observe Anna more.

"Okay," she agreed. "I need to call Jack and tell him I won't be back tonight."

"We can do that!" Janet assured.

**Meanwhile**

Jack pulled the pickup truck back into the drive at the ranch. He soon parked the truck and turned the key off. It was a silent ride back from town for Jack was not in a good mood. He looked past Sam and spoke to Daniel, "You are paying the fine for ticket." he declared.

Daniel rebutted, "Why do I have to pay the fine? You were driving."

"Because if kept your mouth shut I could have talked my way out of it." he insisted. "I have not gotten so much as a parking ticket in over 30 years but today I got one for going through a red light that I had stopped at."

Daniel reminded him, "It was Sam who told you to go through the light."

Sam huffed, "Don't bring me into the middle of this. You got cash for those coins and Carl even gave you the number of a dealer who will buy that rare one. You can use some of that to help pay for the ticket. Now, can we get out of this truck?"

Jack and Daniel both opened their doors and Sam slid out behind Daniel. They soon made their way into the house rather miffed by the patrol officer they encountered earlier. The sun was going down as dusk set in. Jack flipped on the lights and found a flashing red light on the answering machine near the phone. It was an old style machine that used cassette tape and thus he was comfortable pushing the play the button.

The message played, "This message is for Colonel O'Neill. This is Major Frasier. I need to run more test and Anna won't be back for a few days. She asked I call and let you know and remind you to tend to the horses in the barn. I will call back tomorrow. Have a good evening, sir."

Daniel figured, "We got to go out and feed the horses tonight."

Sam injected, "I was thinking about the smaller Gate in the cave. If we are going to try to power it and make an attempt to dial out we should have it closer to the house. When the snow starts we're not gonna get up that trail to the cave."

Jack figured, "We can drag it down and put it in the big barn where all the hay is. That's tall enough and closer."

Daniel agreed, "I think we might want to do that before the weather turns bad."

Jack figured, "We can saddle up a few horses and get to down tomorrow. Daniel and I will go feed and water the horses. Carter, you make dinner."

She challenged, "Why do I have to make dinner? I can feed and water horses."

"Fine," he rebutted "you and Daniel can go feed and water the horses and shovel the manure out of the stalls while I make dinner."

Sam then realized Jack was trying to spare her a smelly job. She sheepishly replied, "I'll make dinner!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Under a Special Access only program, Anna Hunter was issued a set of green battle dress and placed in the infirmary as a medical technician. When Janet was busy with duties, Anna was given basic task of cleaning in the infirmary to keep busy and not appear to be part of a special program.

So far Janet's test on Anna indicated that her DNA had been altered by the prolonged and generational exposure to the naquadah. Her bone density was extreme along with the thickness of muscular and other connective tissues. Her eyesight was perfect and she seemed to have an ability to see much in the dark compared to normal vision. Her hearing was above normal ranges along with her other senses. But what intrigued the doctor the most was the skin cells. Upon scraping off a sample of skin she found the cells had the ability to not only regenerate quickly but bond together in an unbreakable fashion much like a chain. Her skin acted as a bio-armor and thus could prevent any major injury, even a sharp needle from piercing the layers. The scans the Doctor was able to conduct indicated Anna's organs also had a protective layer of cells and dense material surrounding them. Anna didn't seem to understand that the effects of the exposure left her nearly bullet proof. In all retrospect she had the making of some kind of superhero from a comic book. Heightened senses, impenetrable skin and extreme strength were attributes any solider or impressionable youth would dream of. But Anna didn't see herself as special but rather as an oddball with few friends and a mountain of debt.

Anna heard stories and rumblings about SG-1 and the other off world teams from those who worked in the base. For Anna, the teams were superheroes who went off world and defeated bad aliens. In her mind they were the heroes and she was simply a rancher's daughter who was eyeball deep in debt and worry. She could walk away from her land and property if it weren't for beloved horse, Sandy and helping the older version of SG-1 that she knew and adored.

Upon finished her task of cleaning the beds and equipment, Anna went to see General Hammond about going back home soon. She stood outside the briefing room door and listened to the conversation from within.

General Hammond briefed the team, "Senator Kinsley will be coming to inspect the program tomorrow. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior." He then looked directly at Jack.

Jack shrugged, "I always am."

Captain Carter stated, "I can a full report ready if you want, sir."

"That might be helpful." the General agreed.

Daniel sat miffed, "Just what we need…Another politician sticking his nose around and telling us how to do our jobs."

General Hammond stated, "This inspection will determine our operating budget. They want to cut it."

Anna rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Of all the shit they waste money on and they want to cut this."

Sergeant Walter Harriman was returning to the Control Room to complete his duties. He spied Anna and was briefed prior that she was a Special Access program. He motioned, "Follow me."

She started to follow Walter into the briefing room, past the younger version of SG-1 as she held her breath figuring they would see her for sure. She shook nervously for she was not supposed to meet them in the SGC but rather on her land. They didn't seem to notice as she walked by with Walter and into the control room for they assumed she was just another technician.

She took a seat by Walter at the controls overlooking the Gate. She admitted, "I damn near wet myself. I thought they would see me."

"You're just a grunt to them." he told her. "I got one of the naquadah generators ready to ship out with you to Utah. General Hammond asked me to take you home after my shift since I have leave coming and he has an inspection."

"Thank you," she sounded relieved. "I wasn't sure when I would get back."

He also admitted, "I want to see SG-1 from the future. I volunteered!"

"They are a little different than they are here." she informed. "Sam is a Major, Daniel has shorter hair and I think he was working out a bit. Jack's the same though."

Walter blinked, "You are first name bases with all of SG-1."

"They work for me." she told him. "I own a ranch after all. I also own a naquadah ore bed and a Stargate. Too bad I'm broke…" she miffed and crossed her arms.

Walter slowly nodded, "I think you might own that second Gate. You found it first, right?"

"When I was a kid." she confirmed. "My family owned the land since the 1800's. It's the Hunter Star Gate." she figured. She pondered, "I wonder if Sam could get it going for me and then we can put it in town and charge people to go off world and return like a carnival ride."

Walter stated, "I know a bunch of folks who pay just to go through it but I'm not sure Captain Carter and Dr. Jackson would not agree to that."

"But Jack would like that idea." she ginned.

"He would be selling the tickets." he nodded.

**Next Day**

Walter drove Anna back to her home in Utah in his personal vehicle. He parked the red Chevy Blazer beside the old Ford pickup. He noted, "That's an old truck."

She agreed, "It's a seventy-eight." She opened the passenger's door and climbed out. She wondered just where Jack, Sam and Daniel were. "Where is everyone?" she asked herself. She heard a noise coming from the old barn. She motioned for Walter, "I hear something in the big barn."

The pair walked to the barn and found bales of hay and in the center of the barn was a small Stargate with ropes tied the top, rigged to a pulley system and her horse, Sandy gently pulled the ropes to stand the smaller Gate on end. She blinked, "What the hell?"

Jack was guiding Sandy as Sam and Daniel guided the Gate's base into place. He glanced over just as the Gate came to a rest. "Hey! Walter's here!" he called. "Just one minute," he motioned at the pair.

Sam gave a signal and announced, "It's set!" She then gave a final approval as the Stargate settled into the base. She greeted Walter and Anna upon their return, "Anna! Walter!" She started towards them happy they managed to get the smaller Gate out of the cave and erected in the barn. It was quite the task and she was ever so proud they managed it with just horses and the three of them. "Well, what ya think?" she motioned towards the Gate behind her.

Walter wasn't used to seeing Sam out of uniform. She was dressed much like a cowgirl in his estimation with the vest and pink and blue flannel shirt with jeans and a pair of work boots. He noticed Jack had donned rugged tan trousers and a matching jacket and Daniel was sporting blue coveralls with a white t-shirt.

"Captain Carter," he slipped up on the rank as he greeted her.

"Major Carter," she corrected him.

"Ma'am," he shook himself upon seeing the older version of his favorite team. "Sir, Dr. Jackson. I have the generator in my truck." He then reached into his pocket and retrieved a letter, "Dr. Frasier asked me to give this to you." He handed it to Sam.

Anna announced with a smirk, "It's a summary of my birth defects."

"Birth defects?" Sam asked worried and opened the letter hoping Anna wasn't suffering from organ damage or failure. She started to read the findings. "Anna, you don't have any birth defects. The naquadah did affect your DNA and as result enhanced you physically. You also have enhanced senses."

"My defects!" she insisted. "Boy did you guys change in three years. I did see you at the base but you didn't see me. Daniel, you look way better with short hair. Sam, you look about the same. Jack…You really didn't change much, now did you?"

He shrugged, "Why would I?"

"True," she had to agree. "George is a sweetheart and I stayed the night with Janet and Cassie. I promised Cassie she could come and ride horses this summer." She beamed at thought of teaching Cassie to ride.

Sam recalled, "Cassie in the future helped send us back to our time before. I guess she would know more about our future than we do. Least we got the generator so we can run the smaller Gate and not run your electric bill sky high."

"Why did you guys bring the little Gate all the way down the mountain and put it my barn?" she wondered.

"We figured if it was closer to the house we could get access to it during winter. Going up that mountain will be a trek when the snow hits." Sam explained.

Jack asked, "How long you staying, Walter?"

"I'm on leave," he smiled. "I got five days."

"Cool!" he grinned. "There is a bar in town with dancing. I figured we would check that out."

Daniel looked at Jack and challenged, "Aren't ya gonna tell her?"

He rolled his eyes, "Fine!" He looked at Anna nearly embarrassed, "I took the truck to town and got a ticket from this big, fat, deputy."

Anna held her breath as she tried to not laugh.

"Now, before you say anything" he continued "it wasn't my fault. I was stopped at that stupid stop light; there was not another car in sight for miles so Carter told me to just go through it and then as soon as I hit the gas that fat guy pulled me over. The street was dead! Then Daniel went and got all mouthy and damn near got us arrested."

Daniel rolled his head back, "I just pointed out that we did not actually run a red light."

"Oh' so you guys met, Tiny!" she laughed. "He's tickets everyone. He even gave his mom, the sweetest woman in town a ticket. That's why no one goes through that red light. Tiny stalks it out like a stakeout looking for a victim."

"Tiny!" Jack gasped. "That big, fat dude's name is Tiny?"

"That's why everyone calls him 'Tiny'," she nodded.

Daniel spoke up, "I brought those silver coins we found to Carl. There is one coin that is worth a few thousand dollars. It's a rare mintage. He gave me the name of a dealer in Salt Lake City that's reputable. He said he would buy it."

"One of those old coins is worth a few grand!" she gasped.

"Because most were melted down and limited were minted from that mint in that year," he nodded. "I put it on our safe. That should keep the tax collector off your back for a while!"

"General Hammond stated that the federal government will be interested in gaining the land. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna get more than the current assed value." She informed.

Sam asked, "What's the current assessed value?"

"One million," she told her. "He also said they do not want any housing tracks nearby and would stop any development due to it becoming a mining operation. It will be great for the town and bring in jobs but I will have to leave."

Daniel asked, "Since you have seen the SGC and know about the Gate, would you consider maybe moving to Colorado Springs and working with us in the SGC?"

"Hammond never said anything about me working there." she replied baffled.

"We can get ya in!" he assured her.

"It's still three years from now and I still need to make my taxes or the county will foreclose." she reminded him. "They are just after the revenue. They don't care who they sell it to."

Jack told her the plan, "For the next three years we keep the land in your name until General Hammond can work out a deal to get it. During that time, you will work with us and we be looking for that depot using the little Gate. Then, once we catch up to when we left we go back to the SGC, with you and you get an actual job and assigned to a team. Is that a deal?"

She pondered, "I suppose but where do I put my Stargate after I move?"

Sam blinked, "What?"

She motioned towards the little Gate, "That's my Stargate. You guys got that big one."

She countered, "You just can't claim a Stargate, Anna!"

"You guys did!" she rebutted.

She stammered, "The…the government will want it."

"They can't have it," she shook her head. "I found it, it's been on my property for over a hundred years and it's mine."

Sam looked to Daniel for support, "Can you explain to Anna that she doesn't own the other Gate."

He winced, "Actually she does! The Ancients are all gone and unless the makers come to claim it then it's her Gate. It's on her property and she's found it before we did. It would be treated like any other treasure. She would be the owner."

Sam countered, "National Security!"

"We have another Star Gate is bigger and has a larger carrying capacity. It will be hard to say it's a national security issue when we already have one that is working and you can send more people and supplies through." He looked to Anna, "It's your Gate!"

Jack spoke up, "Wait a minute! Anna actually owns the little Stargate? We can't claim it!"

He nodded, "That's right!"

Jack looked at Anna, "How much you willing to sell it for?"

She grinned amused.

Daniel asked, "Why are you asking her that, Jack?"

"Because I wanna buy it then." he declared.

"Why?" he asked baffled.

"You know how much people will pay just to go through it?" he asked him as Anna and Walter started to chuckle.

Daniel challenged, "What are gonna do, Jack? Buy the other Gate and make it into a carnival ride?"

"I was thinking it!" he admitted.

"Oh' god," his friend complained.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Walter had given Sam the money needed to purchase a number of computers that would be required to control the smaller Stargate. With the SGC's budget under congressional scrutiny there simply wasn't any way for General Hammond to get the needed funds to the incognito team. Any help would have to be done through the grace and charity of those who were aware of the predicament. It was determined that SG-1 would use the coming three years to find the ZPM depot and gather any intelligence. The results of the Secret Access program would not be fully known until the team caught up to when they left.

After getting the smaller Gate active Sam was able to make some improvements to the buffering program to expand the memory and allow for a greater cargo load for the little Gate. She was very proud that she managed to double the capacity but the little Gate still was limited and now only six adults could go through or fewer adults and additional cargo.

Fall was in the air. The leaves had changed colors and the temperature was dropping. The barn had stacked hay and straw that could double as insulation but it was also used for the horses. Heating the large open area relied on space heaters which could run off the naquadah generator to save on the electric bill for the ranch.

After a few hours work, Sam needed to come into the house to warm up a bit. She soon found Jack standing at the kitchen table with a large pumpkin and a steak knife. He was eyeballing the pumpkin as if it was a canvas for the next great artistic project.

He spied Sam walk in through the door. "Carter," he mentioned still concentrating on the pumpkin.

She removed her coat and boots at the door. She glanced over, "Carving a pumpkin, sir?"

He shook his head, "Oh! I'm making a masterpiece." he teased her.

She came to his side and found black lines of a cartoon face drawn on the side in marker. She grinned, "Who is that supposed to be?"

"Daniel!" he informed.

"Ah-ha," she giggled. She then wondered, "Where is Daniel anyways?"

"He's going through old family photos with Anna." he told her. "She's doing her family tree."

"She wants to preserve as much as possible." Sam concluded. She started for the stove to heat up some coffee when Jack stopped her.

"I got you a drink already," he mentioned and motioned towards the mug of hot cocoa waiting on the counter.

"You made me hot cocoa?" she asked assuming it must be cold. She picked up the mug and found it was piping hot. "It's still hot."

"I just made it for ya about a minute ago." he informed.

"How did you know when I would come in from the barn?" she wondered.

"It's getting dark which means it's getting colder and that space heater only goes so far." he concluded. "I figured you were cold by now."

She took a sip, "You figured right." She then looked upon the pumpkin as Jack started to carve the jack-o-lantern. "Next is Thanksgiving and then Christmas. We're gonna be spending every holiday together for the next three years."

Jack nodded, "Yup!"

She leaned against the counter and pondered, "I have not had a Christmas tree since before my mom died."

"Anna mentioned earlier that she usually cuts a tree down from her property." he recalled. He then admitted, "I haven't put tree up since Charlie…" he tailed off recalling the face of his dead son for just a moment. He had not carved a jack-o-lantern since his son's death as well. He looked upon the pumpkin wondering if he should bother.

Sam caught the pause. She placed the mug down and came to his side. She tried to get Jack to not dwell on the death of his son but wasn't sure what to say to him. "I think Anna would like that jack-o-lantern." she declared. "It does kind of look like Daniel!"

The motioned pulled him back to his task. "We should make sure Anna has good memories of her home in the last few years that she has it." he agreed. He began to work on the pumpkin again.

Sam found herself standing closer to him than she anticipated. She could have wrapped her arm around him and simply enjoyed his company. She wanted to do just that but her military training crept up on her once more. "I'll go see how Anna is doing on her family tree." she excused herself.

Jack seemed oblivious to Sam's needs. He simply gave a nod, "Have fun!" Then he continued to carve out the funny pumpkin face as his work consumed him.

She grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and left the kitchen. She soon found Daniel and Anna in the living room sitting on the sofa with old picture albums spread out before them on the coffee table.

Daniel read the name off the old back and white portrait of a corny looking man. "Aloysius Hunter!" he flipped over the carded photos and read the words scribed in pencil, "Texas Ranger, Sole survivor of the Alamo." He puckered, "I didn't think anyone survived the Alamo."

"Family legend says my great, great, great Grandpa did," she remarked. "Of course there is no proof of that claim." She then recalled, "I think he knew Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. He was a station master for the Pony Express."

Daniel smiled, "You have a very rich family history here, Anna. You should preserve this in a museum."

She shrugged, "I suppose but I don't know what museum to donate it all too."

"Star your own museum," he suggested. "The Hunter Museum…Right in town."

"You've seen the town, right?" she nearly laughed. "There isn't much here."

"A museum could put this place on the map." he countered.

She shook her head, "The only way folks even know this is a town is because of our only stop light on Main Street that forces everyone to stop for a few minutes."

Sam called, "How's it going?" She came to the coffee table and glanced over the dozens of old photographs.

Daniel looked up and smiled, "I'm helping Anna establish a town museum."

"Ah-ha," she figured Daniel would take on such a project so he wouldn't get bored while waiting to catch up to when they left.

Anna asked, "Is the little Gate working yet?"

"I got it set but before we dial out we need to get a MALP." she figured.

"Those are harder to come by." Daniel miffed.

"A MALP?" Anna asked.

Sam explained, "Before we go through the Gate we need to see what is on the other side so in the SGC we have a remote controlled vehicle we can send through to take readings and send back video. We need something like that here."

Anna stated, "Carl has hobby and crafts section in the rear of the store. He had remote control vehicles, planes, trains…all that. He sells kits. We can get a few kits and mesh something together."

"That might work." Sam agreed. Her eyes spied a Texas Ranger badge sitting in a pile of photos. She pointed, "Your grandfather's badge?"

"Great, great, great grandfather!" she nodded. "He was a cool dude." She showed him the picture, "Check out his portrait."

Sam noticed familiar features between the man in the old photo and Anna. She smiled, "You have his nose and eyes."

"It's hereditary!" she concluded.

Jack walked into the room holding the pumpkin with the funny carved face. He placed it on the coffee table before Daniel. "Look Daniel! It's you!"

Daniel looked at the jack-o-lantern. Two rounded eyes and a large mouth complete with a hand drawn set of thick rimmed glasses in black marker.

He rolled his eyes, "Is it me because you drew glasses on it, Jack?"

Jack explained, "Nope! You get excited when you find something new and your eyes get bigger and you never shut up about it."

Daniel narrowed his eyes and pinched his lips tight. "I'll get you! I'll carve a pumpkin of you, Jack!" 

"Mine will still be better." he teased him. He spied the badge, "A badge!" He picked it up with his fingers to inspect it closer.

"That's a family heirloom of Anna's, Jack!" he warned.

"Neat," he smiled at Anna. "When I was a kid we used to play Cowboys and Indians all the time. I was the sheriff."

Anna began to gather her photos, "I'll get this stuff out of the way so you can decorate for Halloween." She placed the old photos in a briefcase and closed the lid. She stood up to return the case to her bedroom for safe keeping as Jack followed still holding the badge. Daniel and Sam tailed behind.

As Anna got to the master bedroom and turned on the light Jack got a good look at the room. She had a queen size bed with antique furniture and a gun safe in the corner by the closet door. The walls were painted baby blue and the closet door was white. She opened the closet to store the case.

Jack placed the badge on the nightstand by her bed and found a shotgun tucked in the corner. He picked it up, "410 gauge?" he asked. He noticed it was a single shot with a synthetic stock and 4 shells in the stock. The barrel was shorter and for Jack it would make a good gun to move around corners of a building or field hunt small game.

"Dad always had it there. He didn't want to anything to could go through a wall and hit something or someone on the other side. So, I use it for home defense." she explained.

"This would make a good survival gun," he told her. He glanced around and found a gun rack mounted on the opposite wall but on the rack was a long bow and quiver with arrows. Hanging from the same rack was a gold medal, "You do archery?" he asked her.

"I took the gold in archery for the Summer Olympics when I was seventeen. Then mom started getting sick so…I stopped." she replied with a sigh. She went to the quiver and retrieved an arrow, "I make my own bolts! My dad used to melt down some of the local ore to make arrow heads and cores for hand poured bullets. I figure this must be that naquadah stuff. These heads cut through anything including metal frying pans." She handed the arrow to Sam to inspect. "Is that why my arrow heads are so strong, Sam? Is it the naquadah?"

She nodded, "Naquadah ore that has been refined will make a very tough metal." She cocked her head, "You said your dad made bullet cores with it?"

She nodded, "I tried to make a whole bullet with it but the bullet would go right through his steel targets. So, he made a core and then coated that in lead and that take a moose but not over penetrate and go through. He used that when he was muzzle loading."

"Can see the bullets he made?" Sam asked.

"Sure," she agreed and went to the gun safe. She opened the combination lock and swung the heavy door open.

Jack's eyes feasted on an array of vintage weaponry that dated back a hundred years. He spied old western style revolvers sticking out of the door holster. "Hammond would love that safe!" he told her. His hand grabbed the butt of a Colt style black power revolver. He stated, "You know how much this old gun is worth?"

"It's a reproduction," she smirked. "See! Made in Italy." she pointed out.

"It's not a real Colt!?" he gasped.

She shook her head, "Remarkably, folks out this way still like cap and ball."

"Damn," he huffed thinking he found an actual antique Colt revolver but instead it was a clone.

Daniel pondered, "If we started going off world what will we use? We only have so much ammo with us."

Sam added, "The SGC's ammo is specially made for us to pierce armor. We can't get that kind of ammo commercially. The stuff we can buy will not go through Jaffa armor." She then figured, "But a naquadah core bullet will."

Anna handed her the box of bullets that he father made, "He used these in his muzzle loading rifle. It's fifty caliber."

Sam held up a large lead ball before her eyes, "This might be a bit more than we need." It was the size of a man's thumb.

Jack sounded, "We're not taking muzzleloaders."

Daniel countered, "Actually…We might have too! We can't be leaving brass casings for our other selves to find. Matter of fact, if we go off world we need to avoid any SG teams and maybe even use code names for each other."

"Code names, Daniel?" he asked unsure as he put the shotgun back in the corner.

"We can't be SG-1 or use our real names. We need to be in disguise." he figured.

Anna grinned, "I got names for us! Jack can be the Grinch. You and Sam are Thing One and Thing Two."

Jack asked amused, "And you?"

"Sam I am," she giggled to herself in jest amused by her joke.

Daniel smirked, "You can be a Grinch, Jack."

"Funny Daniel," he rolled his eyes.

Sam stated, "We need assumed names while we are off world! We can't call each other by our real names until we catch up to when we left."

"I'll be Lei'nad!" Daniel suggested beaming.

Jack asked, "What's that mean?" He assumed it was some other language.

"Daniel backwards!" he declared.

"Lenny would be easier to pronounce," Jack told him. He then got an idea, "You're Lenny! Carter is Squiggy." He looked to Anna. She was the shortest of the group, "Opie!" he declared.

Daniel knew what he was doing for Lenny and Squiggy were character from an old TV show. He asked not amused, "And your name, Jack?"

"I'm Fonzy!" he grinned, "The cool one!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Daniel certainly did get even with Jack. He carved a pumpkin with a cranky face and then placed a tan ball cap on top. Jack then upped the challenge by placing a green bucket hat on top of the pumpkin that he carved. Daniel was now determined to make the pumpkin he was carving into a parody of Jack and found a squirt gun and strapped it around the base of the pumpkin with an old belt. The battle of the pumpkins was in full swing and all Daniel could do was wait to see what new addition Jack would make to his pumpkin to mock Daniel even more.

Sam had gone to town with Anna and they purchased a number of remote control vehicle kits. They would need a video camera that had the ability to send live pictures from the other side of the wormhole and a way to receive the transmission. The video equipment would be the most expensive and the cumbersome in size. Luckily, Walter was working on acquiring something out of the storage room in the SGC to bring to them.

Sam, in the meantime, had Jack and Daniel work on refining the local naquadah ore to make bullet cores that would be used for off world. Jack figured Anna's archery would come in handy but since they were limited to older weapons that did not leave a brass casing behind upon being fired Jack found he his options for weaponry was dwindling. He could bring a modern revolver for the older style gun did not eject the brass casings like his military issued sidearm or the fully automatic P-90 rifle that he was issued. Getting a suitable rifle would be the hardest task. All modern rifles used brass casings that were ejected out either manually or automatically upon being fired. The only rifle that would not leave a casing was a muzzleloader much like the rifles that were used during the Civil War.

The determination of not leaving any evidence behind off world that could connect them to Earth would be a daunting task. It would be rare to find a modern rifle with a revolver cylinder that would not eject the casing after firing a bullet. Suddenly, Jack was in charge of weapons procurement and a need to not look like they were from Earth would be the guiding rule. He did find a rifle in Anna's safe that was not what he would pick as a first choice. It was a reproduction of revolving carbine that was initially made after the Civil War as the competition to the new Henry repeating lever action rifles. The rifle looked much like an oversize revolver with a shoulder stock and no forearm grip. To fire the rifle he would need to wear a thick leather glove with a long trench coat to not burn his hand and forearm on the barrel upon firing. His other option was to re-learn his shooting stance and keep both hands on the stock as he fired. Neither option was all that appeasing to Jack who would rather just have his P-90 back.

The last weekend before Halloween was upon them and Anna invited the team to go on a haunted hayride with her that was hosted by a local farmer. It was dark as they climbed into the back of the hay wagon with other locals. Sam settled down on a bale of hay beside Jack. She was bundled up for the cold night air. Daniel found himself seated beside Anna directly opposite of Jack and Sam in the wagon. The wagon was towed by a tractor to not scare any horses on the ride. The smell of diesel filled the cold night air. Soon the ride started and the tractor pulled them towards a corn field that was cut into a maze.

As the entered the corn field they found a scarecrow perched just about the corn on a stand. At first Sam thought it was just a prop until it moved. She then realized it was one of the locals in an act. She started to laugh as she found it silly. Sam figured nothing could scare her. She had been off world and fought against brutal alien dictators who enslaved other races. For the most part she found the acts very silly and not even frightening in the least. But as they went deeper into the maze of corn the acts were gorier and screams filled the air. She spied mannequin heads on spike and covered with a bloody goop and her stomach began to turn though she knew it was faked. Up from behind her she heard the roar of a chainsaw. She looked over her shoulder and witnessed a man dressed in blue coveralls, wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chainsaw rush right for her. As the saw hit the bale of hay she found there was no chain on the front blade and it was harmless. She nearly jumped and found herself in Jack's arms.

"He's scared me too, Carter." Jack admitted as the fake chainsaw massacre continued around them.

Sam glanced across the wagon at Daniel and found Anna huddled in his arms and laughing at the same time. It soon became apparent that the little town had one of the best haunted hayrides she ever been on. With great relief she emerged from the corn field in a few minutes and few more scares later. She was done and simply wanted to get in the truck and go back to the ranch.

Anna shouted out over the tractor engine, "Let's go again!"

Sam's eyes grew wide, "No!"

Jack laughed, "Come on, Carter. It was just a haunted hayride."

"Once was enough." she countered. She found Jack's arms were still around her. With each passing day she felt like less of a solider under Jack's command on the ranch. She no longer had the buffer of regulations between them. She couldn't just go on leave and act like they were simply co-workers either. Each day she was growing closer to him. She looked at Daniel once more and wondered if she was absent minded about her friend who rather enjoyed having Anna so close to his side on the hayride. She thought back and recalled Anna sitting close to Daniel on the couch as they watched a movie on TV in the recent weeks. She cocked her head wondering if she was blind to another relationship or if she was seeing things on projection of her own situation with Jack.

Anna grinned at Daniel, "There is a dance in the farmer's barn. Let's go there next."

"Sounds like fun," he agreed with a grin.

Jack asked, "What kind of dance?"

"Square dancing," she told him.

He muttered, "Should have guessed that one."

**Next Day**

Anna walked out to the barn that housed the smaller Stargate early the next morning with a thermos full of coffee for Sam who was already working on the computers and the Gate. She closed the door behind her upon entering. The smaller Gate stood in the center of the barn, surrounded by bales of hay. Off to the side of the Gate was a large wooden table with computers that connected to a large black box that glowed blue.

"How's it going?" she asked as she walked over to the table.

Sam glanced up from her work, "Good!" She was busy with calibrations.

Anna placed the thermos down on the table, "I brought ya some coffee."

"Thanks, Anny." she found herself calling her by the same nickname as the town's people.

"Anna," she corrected. "I know everyone in town calls me Anny, because my parents did, but I never liked it."

"I won't call you that then." she assured her. She paused and pinched her lips tight for she was still thinking about the hayride and the dance last night. She couldn't help but notice that Daniel and Anna seemed to be getting closer and she was naturally curious.

Anna asked catching the look, "What is it?"

"Nothing," she shook herself. "I just noticed that you and Daniel seem to be getting close lately."

Anna took a seat on the bale of hay near the table. She nodded, "It's a slow kind of thing. Daniel is a great guy. I never met anyone like him before. He's extremely smart, caring, passionate, good looking…" she tailed off. She squinted and wondered to herself, "Did he get a lot of alien chicks after him?"

Sam recalled, "Hathor did a number on him."

"Hathor is a Goa'uld?" she asked.

"Yup," she nodded as she opened the thermos for some coffee. She poured a cup into her empty mug and took a sip. "Wow, you got this just the way I like it, Anna."

"Jack made it and asked me to bring is out." she told her. "He knows you well."

"Colonel O'Neill made me coffee?" she asked a bit surprised.

She nodded unsure why Sam seemed shocked, "Yeah! Why?"

"He never made me coffee before." she told her.

"He figured you might want some." she informed. "Ya, know…I'm a little confused when it comes to SG-1, you and Jack."

Sam asked, "Confused about what?"

"When I was in the mountain base I heard a lot of talk by the other military guys there about SG-1. You guys are the flagship team but I wasn't sure if you are an exploratory team or a combat team."

"We're exploratory." Sam informed then took a sip of coffee.

"Okay," she nodded. "But your team isn't like any other team there. From what I saw all the other teams were all men and all military or did I miss something?"

She recalled, "In the first year we mainly had military teams. By the second year of operations we started hiring more contractors who would go off world but they were all men. I'm the only woman allowed off world regularly. Janet can go off for medical related missions."

"So, SG-1 is not a military team." she concluded. "When I was there I heard that you were the head of the Research and Development Department and Daniel headed Linguistics and Archeological applications."

Sam nodded, "That's right!"

She pondered, "So who is in the charge of the team when you guys go off world? You or Daniel!"

"Colonel O'Neill is!" she told her.

"Why is he in charge?" she asked baffled.

"Because he's the senior officer." she concluded.

Anna puckered in thought, "But you are the only other officer and he's not in charge of you."

"He's senior to me." Sam reminded her.

"So! You are head of an entire department and Jack doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of guy who is into quantum theory and wormholes." she rebutted. "Who do you send your reports to?"

"General Hammond gets all my reports." Sam declared. "Colonel O'Neill is there to address any threats off world."

Anna then concluded, "He's a security guard!"

"No!" Sam forcefully shook her head. "He's an expert in warfare and strategy."

"But it's just him!" she countered. "I figured Teal'c was recruited to help you guys with the Goa'uld and the Jaffa situation. Daniel is contract and you are research and development. Who is he commanding in battle?" she gave a cocked eyed look.

"We hold our own." Sam told her.

"You see battle?" she asked shocked. "They don't let women in combat!"

"It's a special circumstance." Sam informed.

She went back to square one, "So who is in the charge of the team? Do you and Daniel co-lead?"

"Colonel O'Neill is in charge of the team." she repeated.

She shook her head, "I really don't see how that can be. In my program, SG-1 is you, Daniel, Jack and me. Since you and Daniel know what we are dealing with off world and we are searching for this depot, then you and he are in charge. Me and Jack will watch your six." she determined.

Sam nearly burst out laughing, "Can I see the look on Colonel O'Neill's face when you tell him he's been demoted?"

"You guys are not in the military anymore." she rebutted.

"I'm not?" she asked amused.

"You are all civilians now." she assumed.

Sam asked, "Why do you think that?"

"When was the last time you got a pay check from the military?" she smirked.

"We will get back pay when we catch up." Sam assured her.

"And your promotions and all?" she smirked back unbelieving.

"Not right away," she then figured, "But I will get promoted sooner than scheduled."

"Sure," she shook her head. "Providing the government doesn't go bankrupt, huh!" She then went back to Sam's initial question, "Why are you interested in my relationship with Daniel? You got Jack!"

She corrected her, "Colonel O'Neill and I are not in a relationship."

"You're not!" she gasped surprised.

"I can't be! He's my commanding officer. That would be against regulations." she told her.

Anna squinted again, "But you said Hammond is the guy you give your reports to. So, how can Jack be your commanding officer if you don't give him your reports?"

Sam sat baffled by the question. Her mouth dropped, "Hammond is my C.O.!" She puckered in thought, "Who is in charge of SG-1?"

"That's what I wanna know!" Anna agreed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

In the backyard of the ranch Jack and Daniel had set up a smelting pot and mold to cast lead over naquadah cores. The cores were about the size of a twenty-two caliber bullet, nearly the same diameter of the ammunition used in the P-90 rifles. The diameter of the revolvers and the revolver carbine was forty-four caliber and the lead bullet would need to be a millimeter thicker to properly seat the bullet in the cylinder. The process was time consuming as the cores were placed one at a time inside the mold after the molten lead was poured to ensure the core would remain dead center in the round ball.

After Jack poured the hot liquid lead into the mold he removed the heavy leather gloves to give his hands some fresh air and dry off the sweat. He told Daniel, "We need to get two more of those revolving carbines: one for you and one for Carter to use off world."

Daniel smirked while holding the mold by the wooden handle, "Since we are arming ourselves with reproductions of vintage weapons can I get a LaMat revolver?"

"The revolver with the shotgun barrel in it?" Jack asked as he recalled the gun from history class.

"I'm not big gun guy but I always wanted to try to shoot one of those things." he admitted.

"That's not a bad idea for a backup gun." Jack figured. "We will each need two side arms and a carbine." He then continued as his mind worked out the strategy, "Anna will have her bow and I'll make sure she has a sidearm. We will need radios for communication, some kind of armor plating that can stand up to Jaffa staff weapons and some kind of uniform."

"Costume," Daniel countered. "I don't think we should look military. More like…space pirates!"

"Space pirates, Daniel?" he winced.

"We have to look like we're not us." he reminded him. "How would a space pirate dress?" he wondered and glanced at Jack's attire. His friend was dressed much like a ranch hand with tan trousers and a field jacket. He then answered, "With whatever they find during their travels."

Jack declared, "I'm dressing up like John Wayne!"

"Why?" his friend asked.

"I always wanted to be a space cowboy." he teased.

Daniel sighed, "Sounds like a Hollywood B movie."

"You mean like _The Blob_, _Killer Clowns from Outer Space_, _The Night of the Living Dead_, _Howard the Duck_?" Jack stated with a straight face.

The fact that Jack was so versed in B movies was nearly alarming for Daniel. He gave a nod, "We make our own movie and call it 'Wormhole Extreme'." He spied the barn door open and Sam walked out with Anna. The pair made their way towards the small smelting operation curious as to how the bullet casting was going.

Sam asked, "How are the new bullets turning out?"

Jack picked up a large ball from a pile in a dish, "Slow but no bubbles!" He handed Sam one to inspect.

Daniel then cracked open the mold he was holding and placed the newly formed ball into a nearby vat of water to cool.

"This looks good," she approved. She placed the lead ball back on the pile and then glanced at Anna and then back to Jack. "Anna has something to tell you, sir." she smiled trying to not laugh as Anna had demoted him.

Jack looked ay Anna, "What is it?"

"I was discussing our team for going off world with Sam and I figured since she and Daniel are the two who know what we are looking for then they should be in charge and you and I can watch their six." she explained.

Daniel gave a nod, "Kind of how it worked with Teal'c! Huh, Jack!"

Sam thought surely Jack would insist on running the team like a military operation. Instead he shrugged and replied, "Okay!"

"You are okay with me and Daniel being in charge, sir?" she asked him.

He told her, "Unless the shit hits the fan you and Daniel usually are! Anna can help me cover you and Daniel. Besides, we're on our own. There is no backup for us if we get bogged down out there. We can't do this like we did before. We don't have the luxury of other teams at to call on for help. It's just us!"

"Right," she agreed nodding in thought. "We have to be more careful out there."

Anna grinned, "So! I was right and General Hammond is Sam's commanding officer and not you, Jack!"

Jack blinked, "What?"

Sam explained, "Anna thinks that General Hammond is my C.O. since I give my reports to him and not you."

His mouth dropped, "Son of a…"

Daniel looked on a bit baffled, "We all give our reports to Hammond."

Jack nodded still processing the information, "Right!"

He glanced at Jack's dumbfounded expression and Sam staring at him with a expecting look. He then looked to Anna, "Am I missing something?"

She grinned with a wave, "Regulations just went out the window."

**Later that Evening**

After a roasted chicken dinner and an evening of watching Halloween movies on TV it was soon time for bed. Sam's tendency to work long hours into the night was hampered by a cold environment in the barn and Anna's insistence on coming into the house to eat dinner and relax before turning for bed in at a reasonable hour. Sam could imagine Anna as a General running the SGC. She would be insisting on SG-1 eating well and getting enough rest over results which was not how the base operated.

Sam was in her room getting herself ready for bed. She changed into a long beige nightgown that she found in an old box of discarded clothing in the attic of the home. The gown had belonged to Anna's late mother. The clothing was too big for Anna but fit Sam well. Inside the room was a double size bed with an old style metal bed frame painted white. The walls were dark blue and the trim was also white. The floor was hardwood and a scatter rug was at the side of the bed. A rap came at the door and Sam soon answered it.

Jack stood in the hallway before Sam. He was in a black t-shirt and tan trousers. He found himself thinking about how Anna stated the regulations didn't seem to apply to the team prior. He asked, "Um…can we talk?"

"Sure," she opened the door and motioned for him to sit on the bed.

Jack stepped inside the room and looked about, "You got the better room." he mentioned.

"What's wrong with the room you and Daniel have?" she wondered.

"We have bunk beds and yellow walls." he complained. "Her old man used it for the guys he took on hunting trips." He sat on the edge of the bed.

Sam closed the door for privacy and found herself sitting beside him. She let out a deep breath unsure what to say.

Jack cocked an eyebrow, "Where did you get that old nightgown?"

"I found it in a box of clothes that belonged to Anna's mom. She wore my size and I liked it…so." she shrugged.

He gently touched the lace collar, "Lacy."

"That's why I like it," she admitted. She gave another sigh and looked at him in the eye, "You really think regulations don't apply to us?"

"Hammond is my C.O." he began. "He's your C.O. and the next in line to take over his position is Frasier, not me. SG-1 is not a normal team either. Daniel can make calls and tell me what to do and so can Teal'c. You can override my decisions based on your expertise and you have done that before. I'm just there for security." he figured. His lip curled, "I'm just a real fancy security guard."

She disagreed, "You have a tactical advantage. You know game theory."

"So do you!" he countered. "Hell, some of the strategies you come up with are way better than mine."

"Coming from you, I do appreciate that." she stated. "I just…" she let out another sigh, "remember that other version of me that came through that mirror a few months before we left?"

"The one who was married to me," he nodded.

She admitted, "I can see myself being married to you."

"You were!" he reminded her. "I got killed in that reality."

"Earth was invaded." she added.

He figured, "We won't let that happen here." His arms slipped around her shoulder for comfort.

She leaned into him and propped her head on his shoulder. She asked, "Can we really do this and not ruin our careers?"

Jack shrugged, "If we get canned from the SGC we can always come work for Anna and her Gate."

She cranked her head up and looked at his amused face. "There is no way the government is gonna let her keep that Gate. We all know that."

He admitted, "It would be neat of she did. We could be Gate Pirates."

"Ah-ha," she nodded amused, "And I can turn in my commission for a pirate ship and eye patch."

He pulled her closer as his imagination got the better of him. "In three years we catch up with when we left. We get Teal'c and a space ship. We take George and Walter onboard as crew with Anna and we become privateers." 

"What about Janet?" she wondered.

He winced, "Frasier would be taking command and ordering everyone around. It would be mutiny!" He nixed the idea.

Sam rolled her eyes, "She would not." She nestled in Jack's arms, "Tomorrow we try our first dial out. We should get some sleep."

Jack glanced at the bed, "Your bed looks comfy."

"You can stay but I'm not doing that!" she warned him.

He kissed her forehead, "I'm not gonna pressure you into doing anything you don't want to."

"I'm glad," she sighed as she snuggled close to him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Anna sat beside Sam and watched as the smaller Stargate came to life in the barn. She gasped, "I never saw the Gate activate in the SGC! I just saw men coming and going through that bulkhead door.

Sam told her, "It's even more impressive on a full size Gate. The little Gate does have some advantages. Unlike the SGC's Gate this little gate allows for a looping wormhole."

Anna asked, "What does that mean?"

She grinned excited, "It can loop the wormhole back to the little Gate. Wormholes go one way but this Gate can return the wormhole in a loop even if it's connected to a larger Gate. It's incredible really. That piece of technology would be a game changer for the SGC. We can pull whatever se send through the little Gate back through. Which is why I tied a rope to the MALP." She beamed proud of herself. She then looked over the computer screens before her, "It's stable! Let's try sending the MALP."

"Sure thing," Anna agreed. She stood up and went to a nearby bale of hay and retrieved a large remote control toy truck. The body was painted grey and on the top of the vehicle was a camera with an antenna. A rope was tied to the back of the toy to manually retrieve it. Anna placed the toy before the smaller Gate on the barn floor after turning on the switch. She stepped back and gathered the remote control. She worked the dual joy sticks of the controller and drove the toy up a small wooden ramp and through the event horizon of the Gate before her.

Sam adjusted a monitor and soon the picture emerged. It was a dark place and the only lights were from the headlights of the toy vehicle. She found that Anna was driving the vehicle in some kind of room but they were limited in what images could be seen from the vantage point of the toy being so close to the floor.

She declared, "I'm getting sensor feedback. Temperature is sixty degrees. The humidity is low. It's cool and dry. I'm picking up oxygen in the air sample." She glanced up at Anna, "It habitable!"

"So we can go?" she asked.

"Soon as we are ready." she nodded. "Retrieve the MALP."

Anna reached down to the floor and gathered the rope in her hands. She pulled the toy back through the Gate and then turned off the toy as she brought it to Sam at the table. The event horizon then dissipated behind her. "This homemade MALP worked good." she beamed pleased.

Sam sat beside herself as she realized what she and Anna accomplished. In weeks they had gotten a Stargate Program going on next to no money and employed alternate means to accomplish the same goals as the program the US Government ran. The MALP was a piece of hardware that cost the government tens of thousands of dollars and she just sent a remote control toy though the wormhole on a budget of five hundred dollars and was able to accomplish a similar task. Sam was simply beside herself at the thought of them running a private Stargate out of a barn.

Anna caught her amused expression. "What is it?" she asked.

"You know how much money the government spends daily just to run the SGC?" she asked her.

"Considering my tax bill, I can imagine." she nodded wide-eyed.

She laughed, "Come on! Let's go tell, Jack and Daniel what we found." She stood up to walk Anna out of the barn.

As Anna opened the barn door she gave Sam a toying look, "No 'sir', huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Let's not make a big deal out of this.".

Anna closed the door beaming, "Wanna know what would be cool?!"

"What?" Sam asked as they walked back to the house.

"A wedding!" she grinned at Sam, "One last wedding on the ranch!"

"You and Daniel getting married?" she asked knowing that was not the case.

"No silly!" she shook her head, "For you and Jack! Daniel told me about this mirror you guys found and how another version of you can through and she had married Jack in her reality. He said that there are all these different realities existing all at once. That is so cool! You were actually able to meet yourself."

"It's not as cool as you think it is." Sam told her. She got to the door and led Anna inside. She found Jack and Daniel standing at the table gazing over an array of food. She asked bewildered, "What are you two doing?"

Jack stated, "MRE's! We need rations for off world but we can't take standard issue. So, we are trying to figure out what we can take."

Daniel added, "We can't take any Earth packaging! We can probably get away with wax paper and paper bags though."

"Fresh fruit and veggies will only be good for the same day." Jack added.

Anna told them, "Make hardtack and pemmican. You have to think like a hunting guide…Long term stable food that you can make yourself. Make some portable soup. Use bolo bags for water. I have a freeze dryer! We can dry our own stuff."

Jack looked hard around the kitchen, "You have a freeze dryer!"

"In the storage room." she nodded.

Daniel figured, "We can make our own freeze dried meals." A smile crept across his face, "And I can pack the kind of food that I like and doesn't taste like chicken!"

Anna asked confused, "What's wrong with chicken?"

He informed, "Nothing! I happen to have been eating macaroni and cheese."

Sam figured, "Freeze drying our rations would be an advantage and we can avoid all those preservatives the MRE's have."

"And the constipation!" Daniel cheered. The thought of making his own rations that would be to his liking tickled Daniel's fancy. He could do it way better than any government issued field ration. He would make his own! His bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement, "Let's get that freeze dryer."

**Few Days Later**

Daniel drove Jack absolutely crazy with his desire to make his own rations that would surpass any meal ready to eat that he ever had in the field. In a few short days Anna's kitchen looked like the scene of a disaster movie with pots and pans everywhere and Daniel determined to make his perfect ration before the first dial out. The table top was loaded with a residential freeze dryer and a vacuum sealing system. Mylar bags and vacuum sealing pouches were ready for use. At the stove Daniel was cooking. He knew he would have to make meals that could easily be hydrated with water and eaten with a spoon.

Jack came over to the stove and peeked inside the simmering pot. "Why did you cut the carrots and potatoes so small?" he asked stirring the stew.

Daniel stood by and replied, "If I had large chunks of vegetables it will take longer to re-hydrate in the field. This way it's an even consistency."

"Oh," he gave a nod in thought and then looked at his friend. "You are really thinking this whole thing out, huh?"

"After years of MRE's…Yes!" he gave a hard nod. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, Jack! I can make my own MRE to take with me off world. I don't have to open up a package and wonder what it is that I am eating. And on top of that I can add what accessory packets that I want. If I want an extra sugar, then I can add an extra sugar."

"But we can't have any food packaging that looks like it's from Earth." Jack reminded him.

He grabbed a yellow box from the nearby counter, "I got sugar cubes Jack! We just put what we want in a small paper baggie."

"That will work," he agreed. "What about salt and pepper?"

His pondered, "I suppose we can just peal a label off a jar."

"The big ole green MRE spoon?" Jack wondered.

"I got some wooden spoons for us to use. Easy to clean and we keep them with us." he beamed proud.

"What about canteen cups?" he asked.

He explained, "I found some enamel mugs in Anna's camping gear that we can each bring. We can heat water right in it. Anna has some old folding camp stoves and fuel tabs. We can just repackage the tabs and file off any brand names from the stoves."

Jack asked, "We can bring matches to light a fire, right?"

"Yes," he agreed. "I'll just repackage them to hide any logos."

He gave a sigh, "Boy this whole 'don't look like we're from Earth' stuff is a real pain in the ass."

Daniel admitted, "I never really knew how much work went into making MRE's until now. You have to make the menu, make the actual food, preserve and package the food and then package the whole thing into one convenient package. Then there are the accessories packets!"

"That's why we contract that out!" Jack agreed. "So! What ya making for desert?"

He sighed, "I haven't gotten that far yet!"

Sam and Anna soon entered the kitchen. Sam held a notebook in her grasped and she beamed with yet another idea. "Anna and I have come up with a way to make body armor that doesn't look commercial and be more effective than what we currently have."

Jack sarcastically asked, "Gonna take the door off a wood burning stove and tie it around my neck?"

"No but close," Sam grinned at him and waited for his reaction. Please with the cock-eyed look he gave she continued, "The naquadah ore here is a little different than other ore which makes refining it more pure and thus harder. We can use the same ore that we made the bullet cores with to make a chest plate that will be thinner and more effective than our current ceramic plates."

"Sounds good!" Jack approved. "What about tactical vest? We can't wear ours."

Sam looked to Anna to continue the plan.

Anna began, "I can make what we need out of leather." she explained. "I can do leatherwork. I figure I can make us leather vest that can keep the plate in place and act as a tactical vest like the vest the SGC uses. I can customize each vest to fit."

Jack asked, "Can you make custom leather jackets too?"

"It takes longer but I can," she nodded.

"How about making me a wallet with my name on it?" he wondered.

"Sure," she agreed. "I just gave Sam an old leather purse I made a few years back. I can make that."

Sam agreed, "It's a beautiful purse."

Daniel stirred his stew and added, "Anna's leather working could come in handy. She can make us holsters, belts and stuff. She can customize designs on it. I can make the patterns and Anna can transfer it to the leather."

Jack's mind conjured up a cool black leather jacket with a Stargate sitting on the back in full color. It would be the coolest leather jacket he ever owned. His mind snapped out of his stupor. "Since our cover will be space pirates we should have a custom logo." he suggested.

Daniel gave him a look of amusement, "And what do you suggest that logo be, Jack? A giant Stargate!"

Dang! Daniel guessed it right away and mocked it before Jack could even explain. He decided to go smaller, "How about ship or something?"

"We don't have a ship, Jack!" he nixed the idea.

"No one has to know that, Daniel! It's part of our cover." Jack determined. "We need to make up a name and say that's our ship."

Sam announced, "I have the perfect name for our fictional pirate ship!"

Jack asked, "What is it?"

She teased him, "Jack Daniel's." She giggled to herself at the joke.

Daniel's head rolled back, "Oh' God!"

Jack smirked back at her, "We call it Carter's Folly!"

Anna wanted in on the fun and thought up her own name for the fictional pirate ship. She spoke up, "I know! How about we call our pirate ship 'Gate Stormer'? You know, like barnstormer! Since our Gate in a barn and all…" she tailed off as she found the three suddenly glanced at one another with a disturbed look. "What? It was just a name."

Sam stated, "We heard of a pirate ship called 'Gate Stormer.' We never got to see it or the crew but we heard of the ship." She looked rather concerned to Daniel.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence and not us." he stated doubtful.

Anna shook her head, "There is no such thing as a coincidence."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Thanksgiving was just a week away and the weather gave Boulder Ranch an unusual warm spell. Jack decided to take advantage of the weather to practice with the weapons they would take off world. He cleaned up the old shooting range that the ranch housed for hunters and put up some paper targets. He didn't want to use all the specially made naquadah core ammunition and thus decided to practice with regular lead ball ammunition. He needed to work with the revolving carbine the most since it would require a different shooting stance than what he normally used. He loaded a few cylinders while sitting at the shooting table wearing blue jeans and a red and black flannel shirt. He then placed the first cylinder in the frame of the rifle. He ensured his ear plugs were tucked inside his ear canals and then decided to take the first shot while sitting at the bench. He rested the long barrel of the rifle on a sandbag shooting rest and lined up the fixed sights. He braced the butt of the gun against his shoulder and fired the first round.

He then paused for he felt the flash on his face and the air quickly filled with thick white smoke. He started to wave his hand before his face to get the air to move. He touched his skin for he felt as if he had been burned but found it was just the flash being so close to his face. He figured he would need to wear some kind of face protection. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bandana that he used to cover his mouth when moving hay and straw. He tied it around his nose and mouth and then he raised the rifle for a second attempt when he suddenly felt like a character in a Western where the bad guy robs the train. He shook the thought from his mind and focused on the task of hitting the target. He noticed his first shot was off center, high and to the right. He would have to adjust the sights by guessing where on the target to aim to hit the center. He moved the sight picture lower and to the left and then fired. He found the bandana worked to protect his face but he really would benefit from shooting goggles due to the flash. He peered through the smoke and spied the target was hit dead center. He got the sight of the gun mapped out. It shot high and to the right and thus he would always have to aim low and to the left to compensate.

A black SUV pulled into the driveway and parked by Anna's pickup truck. Teal'c emerged from the driver's side as Walter emerged from the passenger's. The pair had come to visit the other SG-1 team and check on progress.

Jack saw the SUV pull up the drive and placed the carbine in the rest on the table. He stood up to welcome his friends as he pulled the mask from his face and plugs from his ears.

Walter and Teal'c spotted Jack first for he was outside. They walked past the house and right for the shooting range near the old wooden barn. Walter's eyes settled on the revolving carbine, "Oh' wow! I haven't seen something like that in years." he mentioned.

"Walter! Teal'c!" Jack greeted them. "Come for a visit?"

"Indeed," the Jaffa informed. "Hammond also requested a hand written report on the progress that has been made that I shall bring back to him upon my return."

"I'll write something up." Jack assured.

Walter asked, "What's with the antique weapons?"

"Carter and Daniel decided that we need to go off world to look for this depot that we need to not look like we are from Earth and be space pirates. We need something we can use for self-defense that won't leave a shell behind. We can't be spraying brass!" He motioned towards the rifle, "So that leaves me with this monster."

Curiously Teal'c asked, "May I?" as he motioned towards the rifle.

"Be my guest," Jack agreed.

Teal'c took a seat at the shooting table and looked the gun over. It looked much something he saw in a movie on TV. "It is a revolver!" he figured.

"Yup," Jack nodded. "It's all ready to fire. You just cocked the hammer and pull the trigger. It shoots high and to the right. Ya might want to aim low and to the left." He failed to mention the smoke and flash.

Teal'c raised the butt of the rifle to his shoulder. He cocked the hammer and lined up the sights slightly low and to the left. Confident he placed the pad of his thick finger on the trigger and pulled. Smoke filled the air before the Jaffa's face. He felt the hot flash and at first thought the gun had malfunctioned and it must have exploded before him. He looked the gun over for damage but found none. He then looked up at Jack expecting an explanation.

"Our black powder weapons are a little different than what you are used to, T," was all Jack could say.

Walter asked, "Can I shoot it next?"

"Sure," Jack agreed.

Teal'c stood up from the rifle still a bit befuddled. He was certain the gun must have malfunctioned due to the smoke and flash before his face.

Walter placed his sunglasses on his face and then asked, "Can I borrow your banana?" Walter understood the gun worked perfectly but it wasn't as efficient as modern weapons.

Jack handed him the red bandana and Walter tied it around his neck. He seated himself at the bench and then placed the banana over his nose and mouth before aiming the carbine and firing the weapon. He seemed to rather enjoy the old style rifle.

Walter noticed he hit nearly dead center. "Sweet!" he told him. He looked up to Jack, "Cowboy shooting is a blast."

"You do any cowboy shooting?" he asked him.

He nodded, "A little but usually cartridge. I have shot cap and ball through."

"Good to know," Jack gave a nod. "We're going to try for our first dial out tomorrow morning. How long are you two staying for?"

"I got a week leave!" Walter told him.

"As do I," Teal'c informed still curious over the rifle.

"Cool." he grinned.

**Later That Day**

Walter and Teal'c had finished stowing their belonging in the bunk room. Walter assumed Jack and Daniel would still be in the room but instead found it empty of any belongings. Soon they had all gathered for a pasta dinner at the table. As the food was being passed around the table they chatted amongst themselves.

Daniel admitted, "I always wondered where you would go when Walter took you places, Teal'c! Now I know. You were helping us." He passed the bowl of salad to Anna who sat next to him. He then added, "You spend all that time in the SGC helping younger us and then you spend your free time helping older us. Boy, you have got be real sick of us by now."

Teal'c sat amused. "I am not." he assured him. He was curious as to just where Jack and Daniel slept now but didn't press the subject for it was none of his business.

Walter agreed, "I would be real sick of ya." He then passed the bowl of pasta down. He glanced at Jack and Daniel. "So, me and Teal'c have the bunkroom all to ourselves now? I thought we would be sharing."

Jack stated, "It's all yours!" He didn't go any further and dug into his food.

Anna explained, "Daniel stays with me and Jack stays with Sam."

Jack and Sam both a deep breath at the same time in fear that Walter would remind them about regulations and possible tell General Hammond.

Walter simply nodded, "Okay!" He went about eating for he didn't really see an issue with regulations.

Anna decided to see what Walter thought of the oddball team called SG-1. She leaned over her plate towards him, "Walter! Who is in charge of SG-1?"

He replied, "No one as far as I can tell."

Jack blinked, "Wouldn't I be in charge of the team?"

He shrugged, "I suppose but Major Carter is in charge of research and development and that's a separate department. Dr. Jackson is in charge of his department. Teal'c is helping us. I'm not too sure who you are in charge off. You can give orders to enlisted and other combat officers. Major Carter is not a combat officer." he figured. "Plus, you each hand in a separate report from your departments to General Hammond. So, I would guess General Hammond is in charge of the team."

Sam placed her fork down and let out a deep sigh, "Sure! Walter and Anna could figure that out but we couldn't!" She picked up a glass of red wine and took a sip feeling rather stupid.

Anna soothed, "Don't feel bad. When you were telling me how the wormhole is actually created, I had no idea what you said."

She cocked her head and replied, "But you nodded and were paying attention to me."

"I was paying attention but I still have no idea what you said." she agreed. "That wormhole stuff is way over my head." She gave a motioned with her hand going over her head.

Daniel assured her, "That can get a little confusing for me too."

She dug back into her food and confessed, "Sometimes I wish I could be like, Jack. I could be real smart and fake being kind of dumb. Boy, no one would bug me at all if I that superpower."

Jack asked, "Fake being dumb! What makes ya think I fake it?"

She accused, "You are way smarter than you let on! Sometimes, I wonder if you already have it all figured out but hold back and tease Sam and Daniel just to amuse yourself."

He gasped, "I do not!" He then admitted, "Not all the time anyways."

Daniel rolled his eyes, "Oh! That's exactly what you do, Jack. I've seen you do it with my own eyes. On our first dial out you were in another frame of mind but I knew just how smart you were. Then, after the program started and Sam was brought in I saw you dumb yourself down a lot." He looked at Teal'c, "You know how every once in a while Jack says something brilliant and be a Goa'uld's worst nightmare at the same time!"

"Indeed," the Jaffa agreed.

"He was that intense when I first met him. He was focused like a laser beam." He then looked to Jack, "Then after Sam came and you changed!"

He excused, "I don't want to be a real hard ass around Sam now, do I?"

Anna started to chuckle, "Oh! I get it now! Jack liked Sam from the day he met her! And since she's so smart and knows all this advanced quantum physics stuff, Jack holds himself back, lets her be the scientist and then he takes on the role of warrior since that's an alpha trait so she will like him back." She smirked to him, "Man, you are smart."

Sam cocked her head to the side, "Alpha trait?"

Anna stated, "There are alpha males and alpha females. Jack's an alpha male and you're an alpha female. So, he naturally is attracted to you."

Daniel stated, "There can be more than one alpha male, Anna."

"Obviously," she agreed.

Sam asked, "What makes you think I'm an alpha female, Anna?"

"You're tall, very pretty, very smart, independent…all those traits make an alpha female." she explained.

Daniel added, "She's right, Sam. When you are looking at alpha for a female it's similar to a male. For alpha males the traits are usually tall, muscular, warrior type but he doesn't have to be pretty, just present himself as a protector and provider. For women it's a hip and waist ratio that indicated fertility since a lot of it is reproductive driven."

Jack asked, "Is that why you suddenly got into working out, Daniel? I noticed you really bulked up over the last two years."

He rolled his eyes annoyed, "People adapt, Jack. Here I was a beta male in the military and surrounded by alpha males. I had to adapt or I would be walked all over. I knew if I worked out a bit, cut my hair and embraced the warrior training I would not get beaten up or shot by one of our own." He then started to stab the pasta with his fork as he recalled, "That first year was living hell for me, Jack. My wife was taken. I heard rumors that I was secretly gay. I was called names behind my back."

Jack squinted, "Who called you names?"

"The other teams! I was a brainy wimp." he explained. "I had to adapt to military life or die. And after the Goa'uld…" he tailed off.

Anna figured, "You were forced into a combat situation where you had to become an alpha male or be destroyed."

"Exactly!" he agreed.

Anna asked Jack, "Why were you such a 'hard ass' as you put it? Is that why you got divorced?"

He shook his head, "I got divorced after my son died. I couldn't handle it and I wasn't there for her." He looked at Anna's curious face, "I came home from work and I left my sidearm on the TV and my son was sitting on the floor watching cartoons. I told him not to touch it and I thought he wouldn't but I was wrong. The first dial out was actually a suicide mission and it was Daniel who pulled me back from the edge. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today and we wouldn't have any program."

She sat in silence for a moment processing what Jack told her. "I see," she softly spoke. "I can't tell you that I know what it's like to lose a child because I don't. But I can say that I'm glad you are still here and I got to be a part of your life. In the last few months you and Sam have become family to me. I can now see that bond you have with Daniel and why it is so strong and was probably made even stronger by of war with the Goa'uld. All I can say, Jack is thank you for being in my life now."

He gave a small smile, "I'm glad I'm in your life now. I'm glad you are in mine." He started to eat his dinner.

Sam stated, "I'm glad to Anna. Tomorrow we try to go off world through the smaller Gate for the first time." She looked to Walter, "Would you mind monitoring the Gate for us? I got it set up where we can take up to six of us off world at a time. I would like Teal'c to come is he wants too."

"Sure," Walter agreed.

Teal'c proclaimed, "I shall assist."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Anna Hunter had risen at 4 am and tended to the horses and the chores of the ranch. By dawn's early light she had completed what needed to be done and had set up an archery target on the private shooting range behind the barn. She had taken the moment to practice and brush up on her skills. She stood before the target in the cool air with her back to the rising sun. She planted her stance and drew a bolt from the quiver. She took a deep breath upon loading the bolt and drawing the bow. She brought her hand to her cheek and released the bolt which snapped through the air and hit the target dead center. She began to load another bolt to take a second shot when she heard someone walking up behind her. She turned slightly and spied Jack coming to get her for breakfast.

He walked across the field, "Breakfast is ready!" he called out. He noticed the arrow sticking out of the target, "Getting some practice in, huh?"

"I figured now was a good time." she nodded.

He stepped back and motioned, "Let's see what you can do."

She drew another bolt and loaded the notch on the string. She repeated the stance and drew back the bolt and released it just like before. It hit right next to the previous arrow on the target. "I guess it's like riding a bike." she figured. "I still got it!" She looked to Jack's nodding head.

He was thinking how her skill could help them in the field. It was a skill few in the SGC had with a long bow. "Not bad!" he agreed. "You know any hand-to-hand combat?" he asked figuring she did not.

"I know how to box." she grinned. "My dad taught me that!" She then suggested, "If you want to teach me hand-to-hand combat, I'm game."

"It will take more than a few lessons," he told her. "But if you are willing to learn than I will teach you." He brought his fist up to his face and softly jested with her, "Boxing, huh!"

She corrected his stance, "Your guard is down."

"So it is," he agreed. "Come on!" he motioned for her to come, "Daniel is cooking."

She gathered her bow and quiver and started behind him towards the house. She mentioned, "He's really got into cooking. Ever since he started making those rations he kind of just took over as the cook."

"I noticed," he agreed. "Just wish he would cook something I like."

"Such as?" she asked him amused.

"A big ole steak!" he told her.

She motioned towards an old brick barbeque pit that was in the back yard that was surrounded with weeds and over growth. "In summer we can dig out the ole pit and fire it up. My dad had the best steak and chicken dinners on that."

Jack gave a nod, "I bet! Looks like nice sturdy old pit."

"It is." she fondly remembered the cookouts. "Dad would get the pit going and set up the patio furniture. Everyone came from all over once a year and we had this huge picnic. I miss those days." she admitted.

He told her, "We can have one for us in the summer." He smiled in thought, "I can have a picnic at my cabin! I'll put a big ole pit in just like that brick one. It will be awesome! You, Daniel, Sam and T can all come up and we can have a nice cookout."

"Where is this cabin you keep talking about?" she wondered as they got to the door.

Jack opened the door and held it for her to go inside first. He mentioned, "I inherited it from my grandfather. It's in Minnesota. It has a pond and a dock."

As she stepped through the door she replied, "That sounds like fun."

He then stated as he followed her inside, "I go fishing in the pond. There is no fish in it…" he tailed off.

She wondered, "Why is there no fish in your pond?"

He shrugged, "Just isn't."

"But waterfowl carry fish eggs on their feet and can transfer them from one pond to another." she informed.

"Not sure," he shrugged. He could smell the bacon cooking. He noticed some smoke filling the kitchen. He found Walter at the stove cooking the bacon to a crisp. "I think it's done!" he mentioned.

Anna came up to the stove after placing her bow and quiver in the corner. She spied the nearly black bacon, "Thank god! Someone who knows how to cook bacon is finally here."

Daniel was setting the food on the table, "I already cooked the bacon. Walter is purposely burning his. He thinks it's not done."

Walter insisted, "It's not done! Not until it's no longer wiggly."

"You're burning it." he complained. He looked at Anna, "You don't like the bacon I cook?"

"It's bacon! I'll eat it but I like it real crispy." she told him.

Walter soon turned off the burner and removed the strips of black bacon from the pan. "Now it's done!" he declared.

Jack stated, "Little over done for me." He went to the table and took his seat after removing his jacket and boots. He found a cup of orange juice and coffee waiting for him at his plate which was set next to Sam. He mentioned, "Anna said she would be willing to learn some basic combat training."

"I think that's a good idea," Sam agreed as she sipped her coffee. She had bacon, eggs and toast on her plate. She continued, "I sent our MALP back through the Gate last night and there is still no signs of any activity on the site. Hopefully, we won't run into any trouble on our dial out after breakfast."

Jack kidded, "If we do and we have to shoot some Goa'uld, we have an instant smoke screen." He referred to the black powder weapons production of so much smoke.

Daniel had to agree, "We could fill up an enclosed area with smoke real fast."

"We shouldn't have any issues," Sam declared. "There is no sign of any activity and I've been watching the site. We should be set. We have the tactical vest that Anna made. We have spare cylinders loaded and ready. We have chest plats ready, rations, radios, flashlights and tools. I have a leather case that I can conceal my laptop in. As long as I don't lose that…we're good. The laptop is the only thing that is obviously from Earth."

Anna asked, "Can't you just cover the logo up on it?"

"I can but that would be useless since the operating system is still Windows." she countered.

"Oh!" she understood it was a needed piece of equipment that had to go off world. "We will just have to be extra careful." she concluded.

**Short Time Later**

In the old wooden barn SG-1 gathered with Teal'c, Anna and Walter before the smaller Stargate. Instead of donning the traditional green battle dress uniform with black tactical vest they decided to wear the disguises in a simple test run.

Jack was dressed more like a cowboy than a pirate. He wore tan carpenter pants for he liked having the extra pockets. He sported square toed cowboy boots that went half way up the calf under the carpenter pants. His pants where held up by a brown leather belt that also held leather cylinder holders that resembled magazine pounces. His tactical vest was burgundy in color, made of leather and had two holsters on the front that held two 1858 Remington revolver clones. He chose the 1858 Remington for the cylinders could also work in the carbine which he kept close to his body with a single point sling. His vest housed the armor plate and he wore a long sleeve denim shirt for added protection. On his head was a brown cattleman cowboy hat that belonged to Anna's late father.

Daniel's costume was slightly less western than Jack's. He wore gray wool trousers supported by with red suspenders with a white button down shirt and black work boots. His tactical vest was dyed black and had a holster for an 1858 Remington revolver on the left hand side. On the opposite side of the vest he had three cylinder pounces. Over the ensemble he wore a gray field jacket. He topped the outfit off with a matching wool newsie style cap.

Sam was given the opportunity to pick out her own costume as well. How she would have loved to have donned some pretty sundress but she knew better and had to think tactically. She wore a pair of blue jeans and black leather chaps she found in the second hand store. She figured the chaps would give her protection when having to kneel to gain access to computers and such. She found a matching pair of black biker boots and purchased them as well. She wanted the outfit to match and be somewhat stylish. She wore a white man's t-shirt under the custom made black leather tactical vest. She too holstered an 1858 Remington revolver on the left side of the vest and cylinder holders on the right. She had Anna add an extra holder for a knife. She and Daniel both were equipped with a carbine rifle like Jack. Sam carried a bag with her computer and tools across her body. On top her head she wore a black and white canvas cadet style hat. For some odd reason she simply could not seem to part with the old style military hat she wore in the field.

Anna didn't follow SG-1's lead when it came to her costume. She had blue jeans, tan work boots and a flannel shirt; the same clothes she wore every day for Anna didn't have to worry about being recognized off world. She donned the tactical vest that was tan was in color, held the Remington revolver in a holster on the left hand side of the vest and had two cylinder pouches on the right to counter the weight of the heavy gun. Over her back she sported the quiver and over her shoulders her long bow. Anna also carried the rations in a rucksack and a first aid kit as requested by Sam and Jack. On her belt she had her hunting knife and a flashlight. Across her body was her bolo bag of water. On her head she sported a denim ball cap. She didn't need to carry a computer and extra weapons for she was simply there to help Jack guard her friends who had to do the actual work.

Teal'c decided to come as well since the Sam was able to expand the Gate capacity. He wore civilian clothing and carried spare revolver on a gun belt around his middle. Teal'c was not from Earth but associated with Earth and thus had more room for exposure.

Walter agreed to stay and watch the monitors. There was no shield to protect them from incoming forces or enemy fire on the smaller Stargate. Thus, any attack would be controlled by the smaller capacity of the Gate.

The wormhole established before them. Jack checked himself over and made sure he had his water bag, his radio, flashlight and hunting knife. He was glad that Anna agreed to act as a carrier for the extra supplies for the steel revolvers were much heavier than a semiautomatic sidearm.

"Ready campers?" Jack asked with a grin. My how it felt good to go off world again. It was almost like being in the SGC except they were in a barn and surrounded by bales of hay.

Sam replied, "I guess we're ready."

"As I'll ever be," Daniel nodded. He came to Anna's side. "I'll walk with you through. It's gonna be a bit rough at first."

"Sure," she agreed. She then followed Daniel up the mouth of the Gate and took a deep breath before crossing the threshold beside him.

Teal'c walked through behind the pair.

Jack motioned for Sam to go, "You're up…Carter."

She smirked at him, "I'll be waiting on the other side…dear." She stepped through the smaller Gate leaving Jack with Walter in the barn.

Jack told Walter, "Keep an eye on things for us."

"I will sir," he assured him as he sat at the table in civilian clothing.

"Oh, if some fat deputy named Tiny shows up, do not let him snoop around." he warned.

"I won't." he gave a nod.

Jack then turned and walked through the event horizon in hopes of finding the ZPM depot on the other side.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jack found the room was already lit up as he entered through the Gate. At first he figured Sam must have found a way to turn on the lights. He glanced about the room and found they were in some kind of control room with a much smaller Stargate at one end. The walls were stone gray in color and the floor was tiled with a stone slate. The computer console looked much like an Ancient computer system to Jack.

Sam announced, "We are in an Ancient outpost of some kind." She had already hooked up her laptop to the computer and was gathering data. "Daniel, how did you get the lights on so fast?" she asked as she found the outpost was coded to a gene and the lights were on before Jack entered.

"The lights came on when we stepped through the Gate." he replied. He looked to Anna, "Janet wouldn't know to look for the gene yet. I bet Anna has it too."

Anna asked looking about, "What gene?" She didn't seem affected by the wormhole like most that have entered for the first time. Usually, most would have to shake off the effects upon re-entry but Anna seemed unfazed.

Daniel explained as he found a computer screen with Ancient script, "The Ancients coded their technology with a gene so not just anyone could use it. Some of the Ancients breed with humans on Earth in ancient times and that gene got passed down into the population. It's a rare gene and not all that common. Jack has it and apparently so do you. So, every time you come near Ancient technology you have the potential to activate it with the gene and I'm guessing that's what you did when we walked through the Gate." His eyes scanned the writing before him, "You're right! This is an outpost, Sam. It's named…_Hermes_…roughly translated to Greek."

Jack asked, "The messenger god?"

He nodded, "Seems so."

As Anna walked about the area she came to a large wall with some kind of heavy metallic shielding. Her presence trigged a sensor and the shielding suddenly started to move. She jumped back fearing she set of some kind of alarm. Before her the shield opened to reveal a viewing window to the outside. She gasped as she took a step closer, "Oh' wow!" she peered outside to the nearby nebula. It was rather breathtaking in beauty. The nebula reached up like a red and purple cloud dotted with small stars, planets and moons. The area glowed before her.

Everyone looked upon the window and at the nebula outside. Sam stopped what she was doing to gaze out at the sight. She informed, "It's a gas nebula, Anna. The station must be right next to it." She took in the sight as a smile crept across her face.

"Neat!" Anna replied. "So, how long do we stay here and what do we do?"

Sam replied, "I have diagnostics to run and that will take a while. Daniel has found some Ancient text to decipher and that can take a while too. So, we will be here a few hours at least."

She puckered, "So where are the bathrooms?"

Daniel stated, "You will have to use those porta-potty bags we packed."

"Oh," she made a sour face. "So, when you two are working then what do me, T and Jack do?"

"Make yourself busy," Sam suggested and then walked back to her computer.

Daniel suggested, "Play cards!" He kissed her cheek and then walked over to the screen with the text and went back to work.

Anna looked to Jack, "Can't we explore the station at least?"

Jack pondered, "Carter! You found a map of the station?"

"Yes, I found the layout!" she replied. "It's a small station over all. I haven't seen anything that indicates a ZPM depot in the station specs. I'm hoping Daniel will find something in the logs." She made few strokes on the computer and then glanced over at Anna, "There just isn't much for you to do right now." She then back to work.

Anna turned to Jack, "Is this normal? You and T have nothing to do and Sam and Daniel have hours' worth of work?"

"Yup," he gave a nod. He pulled out a deck of cards, "You play gin rummy?"

She glanced at the cards and then at Sam and Daniel. She thought space exploration would be more exciting and never thought of the untold number of times Jack waited about with Teal'c rather bored for his friends to finish their work. She gave a sigh, "Sure!"

**Hours Later**

Sam lost track of the time as she and Daniel worked on the outpost they discovered. She soon grew hungry and looked over to the area of the viewing window. She found Jack and Anna sitting on the floor with Teal'c hovering over them. On the floor was a house of cards that the pair was building. She wondered why it was so quiet and it became clear that it was due to her teammates playing games. "Anna!" she called.

"Just a minute," she replied as she carefully placed the next card on the house. She completed the task and next was Jack's turn. She glanced up at Sam's miffed expression. "What?" she asked.

"I'm starving!" she told her. "You have the rations!"

Daniel admitted, "I'm hungry too! How about you breakout those rations now?"

"Alright," she sighed and went for the backpack propped beside her on the floor. She dug out the first paper package, "Beef stew!"

Daniel mentioned, "That one's mine."

She placed it aside and gathered another paper package, "Chicken, rice and veggies?" she asked wondering who chose it.

"Mine!" Sam stated.

She dug out another, "Corned beef hash," she looked to Jack for she figured it was his meal.

He reached out his hand, "That's mine. I packed T the Chili."

She dug out the other package and handed it to Teal'c, "Here ya go, T." She found as she got to know the Jaffa she had adopted Jack's nickname for him and Teal'c didn't seem to mind.

He gathered the paper package. It looked most strange to him. It didn't look like an MRE. It looked like a paper bag with a box inside. He opened the top and discovered his assumption was correct. He removed the small box and opened it. Inside was a sealed Mylar pouch labeled "Chili". It was light in weight. He looked it over rather strangely.

"Add a cup of water to it, T." Jack instructed.

Daniel stated as he opened his meal, "We made our own MRE's but you have to add water. But, you can also eat it dry." He looked to Anna, "Hot water?"

"Just a minute," her shoulder's slunk. She found herself acting like a servant than a member of the team. She retrieved a couple of pocket stoves and fuel tabs. She set up the two stoves and two enamel cups and filled each with water then struck a match and lit each fuel tab to boil the water. "Shouldn't take long to heat up." she told them.

Teal'c continued to unpack his meal as Anna tended to boiling cups of water for each. He found a vacuum sealed package of homemade crackers that were very thick.

Jack stated, "That's hard tack, T. You break off a piece and put it in your chili after it's re-hydrated."

The Jaffa gave a nod and dug further. He then discovered small, handmade paper envelopes labeled coffee and sugar. He placed the beverage aside. He then found a vacuum sealed package of freeze dried banana chips with piece of chocolate mixed in.

Jack stated, "Dessert!"

"I see," he agreed. He then found a stick of chewing gum. He held the package upside down to ensure it was empty. He looked about confused.

Jack grabbed the back pack and found a utensil set, "Here T! We're using wooden utensils and cloth napkins." He handed him the rolled up wooden spoon and napkin.

Teal'c took the items and took a seat on a counter near the window as he waited for the water to boil.

Jack handed him an enamel cup, "I packed this for ya too."

The Jaffa looked at Jack rather baffled.

"We're not supposed to be us." he explained. "We can't bring standard MRE's."

"I see," he nodded understanding.

"Daniel made the chili himself." Jack added. Soon the first cup of water had come to a boil. He used his bandana as a pot holder and grabbed the handle of the cup. He then leaned over and poured the first cup of hot water into the Chili bag. He instructed, "Stir it up and then let it set for about three minutes."

The Jaffa complied as Jack returned the cup to boil more water.

Anna called out, "Bring me your food, Daniel! Sam!"

Daniel grabbed the two Mylar bags and brought it to Anna who poured about a half a cup in each one since their meals required less water. She told him, "Be a few for minutes for coffee."

"I brought a thermos with me in my case." he told her.

"Me too," Sam added as she stirred her meal. "What did you bring to eat, Anna?"

She removed a paper bag from the back pack. It was smaller than the meal bags. She opened it and retrieved a sandwich wrapped in wax paper, "I brought a salami and cheese sandwich with mustard, an apple, some celery and carrot sticks, and a few cookies from the jar." Everything she had gathered was wrapped in paper." She then asked, "Since you brought coffee can I have your instant packet?"

Sam gasped, "You brought fresh food! We can't bring a cooler."

She rebutted, "Nothing I brought needs to be refrigerated." She nibbled at a carrot stick.

"But we are testing out the MRE's we made." she rebutted rather disappointed. She wanted everyone to test the MRE's they made.

"Go right ahead," she nodded. "The rations are only for one meal. I think if you are gonna have freeze dried it should be a ration that is for like twenty four hours or something."

Jack agreed, "We could make 24 hour ration packs and bring fresh food for the first meal." He then reached over to snag a carrot stick. He quickly snuck one off the paper.

"Hey!" Anna gasped as Jack stole her carrot.

"Hay is for horses," he smirked at her and then bit the carrot.

Daniel began to dig into his stew. It tasted ever so good compared to a military issued MRE. He nodded in approval, "So what's for dinner tonight, Anna?"

"There is a new pizza place in town and I thought we would try." she suggested.

"Sounds good," he agreed. He looked to Sam, "How did I do on your ration?"

She tasted the first bit, "Pretty good! Way better than we normally get."

Anna asked, "Are MRE's really as bad as you guys say?" She took a bit of her sandwich and looked for an answer.

Daniel insisted, "Yes!" He looked to Teal'c who was now enjoying his chili. "This is way better! Right Teal'c?"

He agreed, "Indeed."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

SG-1 with Teal'c and Anna returned from uneventful trip. As they walked back through the smaller Gate they were greeted by Walter and General Hammond who had come to see how they were proceeding.

The old General couldn't believe his eyes when he spied the costumes they had donned. George stood wearing civilian clothing himself of blue jeans, a button down blue shirt with a tan jacket. He cocked his head to the side as they walked through the Gate and into the barn.

"Colonel?" George asked after looking over Jack's outfit.

"George!" he cheered. He pointed towards the hat, "Like my hat? It's a cattleman!"

"I can see that." Hammond agreed shaking the image of Jack as a cowboy from his mind.

"What ya doing here, George?" Jack asked.

"I came unofficially to see how you were doing." he told them. He looked at Anna, "I have managed to submit the naquadah ore on your property for review. That's the first step in buying out the land from you."

"How long will it take for all this to go through?" she wondered.

He stated, "If you were selling to a private buyer it would be much faster. The government moves a bit slower." He looked at the smaller Stargate. "I can leave the smaller Gate here as long as SG-1 is using it."

Anna stated, "It's my Gate!"

"Excuse me?" Hammond replied befuddled by the claim.

"It's my Gate! No one is taking it." she insisted. "I own it."

George insisted, "The Pentagon will want possession of it."

"Screw the Pentagon," she shook her head. "It's mine! I'm claiming it."

Hammond glanced at Daniel, "Dr. Jackson."

"Well," he began, "under the law she has to report any archeological site that is over 100 years old and related to humans. That only applies to the cave with the hieroglyphs. But the Gate is not an artifact from a site. It's a piece of equipment and that would not fall under laws for archeological sites. That's how the US was able to keep the Gate and not give it back to Egypt. In this case the Gate is on private land and there was no commissioned expletory dig. It's a simple case of finders' keepers. It's like finding an old car on your property after you buy it. That car belongs to the new property owner and not whoever originally bought the car."

Hammond gasped, "You mean to tell me that Miss Hunter actually owns a Stargate?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I suppose you could try to claim national security but she would then have grounds for a lawsuit and that would expose the whole program." he warned.

Jack spoke up, "She can always sell the Gate!" He then spoke to Anna jokingly, "If you sell it privately it will be way faster than selling it to the government and you will get more money."

Hammond gave Jack and dirty look. "I suppose you would buy it, Colonel!"

"I could put it next to my pond…" he began and then went tightlipped for George did not look happy.

Daniel simply added, "If I was the government I would make Anna an offer for the Stargate and her land and make it an offer she can't refuse."

Hammond suddenly figured, "You mean to tell me the government will have to buy the smaller Stargate from Miss Hunter?"

Daniel puckered in thought, "I wonder how much a Stargate is worth?"

Sam huffed, "A hell of a lot more than an old abandoned car!" She turned to Hammond, "Sir, as long I am here I can assure you the small Gate is secure. Once the Pentagon makes an offer on the land have them include an offer for the smaller Gate as part of the deal."

Jack added, "The little Gate alone has to be worth a few million to the government."

"At least!" Walter grinned hoping Anna would get compensated well for her land and the Gate.

Sam suggested, "Maybe the Pentagon can make Anna and deal for the smaller Gate? Maybe offer a job in the SGC and base provided housing. Some place for her horses too."

Anna shook her head, "I don't want a job at the SGC. They will just have me cleaning rooms and doing bed pans and commodes."

Sam disagreed, "We can place you somewhere. You won't be cleaning."

"Yes I will," she shook her head. "I don't have a degree. I have a high school diploma. I'm gonna be cleaning."

Jack reminded her, "You own a Stargate! They can make you a General!"

Hammond's eyes grew wide as Jack made the notion.

Sam countered, "Or get you in the Academy and you get your degree."

Anna asked, "But I own a Stargate and a naquadah mine. What do I need a degree for?"

Jack had to admit, "She has a point there."

Sam tried hard to give Anna something to look forward to other than running a Stargate out of a barn. She suggested, "Wouldn't you like a degree and a career? You could do so much more than run your own Stargate program out a barn."

"We did pretty well today," she told her. "You and Daniel had loads to time to research that space station we found." She looked to Daniel, "And you got more leads for new addresses to dial."

"I did," he agreed.

Hammond asked, "That address led to a space station?"

"More of an outpost," Daniel declared. "There wasn't any ZPM's but we did more information and more addresses to dial. We could still find a depot."

"Keep me posted on what you find." Hammond told him.

"Will do," he agreed.

Jack couldn't help but take one more dig at his old friend and teased, "Ya know George! If you ever get sick of the SGC you can always come here and work for Anna. She could use an assistant at times."

Hammond threw the nonsense back at him. He smirked, "I might have to come just to keep you in line, Jack."

Anna didn't understand the banter. She miffed, "I can't afford to pay the help I already got."

Sam assured her, "I think General Hammond is kidding." She then addressed the General, "Sir! We were lucky and came across no resistance today. But Anna has never seen battle and has never gone through basic training. We could train her ourselves or maybe she could go through a six week course while we run the smaller Gate program and tend to Anna's horses."

"How many horses do you have, Anna?" Hammond asked her.

"Four," she told him. "We used to have a dozen but I've had to sell."

"I see," he gave a sigh keeping a placed tucked away in the back of his mind. "I can get you into a six week training program."

Jack mentioned, "She was accepted into the Academy ten years ago."

Anna shook her head, "I can't go! I'm too old and I have to take care of my ranch, the horses and I got bills to pay and there are things that need repair and I got to finish getting the wood chopped before Christmas and I need a load of coal and I need more grain delivered and…" she tailed off looking at her friends. "I got too much to do."

"We can help," Sam assured her.

"I need to make another round of taxes in two months." she told her. "I got bill collectors after me. I owe money to Teal'c, Walter and Janet. I need to get a job or sell more stuff."

Jack smirked, "Sell the Gate to Carl!"

Daniel asked, "Why?"

"I just want to see the look on his face and how much the cheapskate would offer her." he confessed.

Sam asked, "Why can't the government rent the smaller Gate from Anna?"

General Hammond stated, "We can! Of course we would also want possession of it."

Daniel stated, "It's in our possession now. We are running it. Just cut Anna a check for rent and after you reach a deal for the land you can relocate it when the mining starts."

Hammond looked to Anna, "Would you agree to us renting the Gate?"

"I heard your budget was under scrutiny and Senator Kinsey wasn't a very nice guy from what I saw." she replied.

Jack moaned, "Kinsey! Not him again."

Hammond asked, "Is there an issue, Jack?"

"He's a traitor," he nodded. "Be careful around him, George."

"I will," he assured him grateful for the insight. He turned towards Anna, "I will have a check issued each month and a contract written up for rental fees for the smaller Gate. That should give you some income to keep the land from being foreclosed until we can complete the purchase." He turned to Jack, "Colonel, if you could take this time to give Miss Hunter some basic hand-to-hand combat lessons that would be advised."

"Will do," he gave a nod pleased that the SGC would help ensure Anna got a fair deal for her land and the smaller Gate.

Anna asked George, "Would you like to stay for dinner, General?"

"I certainly would," he smiled.

She wondered, "Will you be driving back tonight?"

"Tomorrow," he told her.

"You got a place to stay?" she wondered.

"Not yet," he admitted. "I was gonna rent a room at the motel in town."

She winced, "That bug infested place." She shook her head, "You can stay at my place. I have a bunkroom with extra beds. My dad used to house hunters there."

"I would be delighted," he agreed pleased.

Jack gave a sigh for he didn't want General Hammond to find out that he had been spending the nights in Sam's room. Thus, he would have to sleep in the bunkroom with Teal'c, Walter and George for that evening.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

General Hammond enjoyed his stay at the ranch and in a way wished the property could return to being a hunting camp and guide service. He would have loved to have hunted on the ranch, riding horses and taking a large Elk for meat on a hunting trip. The ranch was what Hammond would have wanted for a vacation and he could feel the coming loss that Anna was surely experiencing.

At breakfast the next morning George sat down to eat before heading back to Colorado Springs. As he fixed buttered his toast he mentioned, "I can see why it's hard to give this place up, Miss Hunter. Boy, I would have loved to have gone hunting here where your father had the service."

"You can hunt here!" she offered as she stirred her coffee.

He paused and gave a coy smile, "I can?"

She nodded, "Daniel said you guys have two and half years before you catch up to when they left. That's two and a half years I have the ranch and you can hunt on my property. You can even ride Ginger on the hunt."

Jack let his fork fall to his plate as he let a deep sigh and a pitiful expression. If General Hammond came on a hunt then that would at least two weeks long and during that time he could not stay with Sam for the General was not aware of the relationship.

Hammond noticed Jack's reaction. "Something wrong, Colonel?" he asked.

"No," he shook his head innocently.

George smiled to Anna, "I would love to hunt next season here. I look forward to it."

"Great!" she smiled back. She truly adored George for he reminded her of her grandfather who spent time in Texas and acquired a slight accent.

Hammond stated, "I am concerned about the safety of you and SG-1, Miss Hunter."

"Anna," she interrupted. "You can call me 'Anna'."

He paused gave a smile in agreement, "Anna! I'm concerned for your safety. What will you do if anyone gets injured or hurt off world?"

She stated, "Sam knows a lot about medicine."

"I'm not a medical doctor though," Sam countered. She rather enjoyed having her bed to herself last night for it was rather cramped with Jack taking up half the bed.

Jack figured, "We can dial the SGC if there is a major medical emergency. You just have to keep other us away during that time."

Sam agreed, "We can use a code in case we need to come in. We can't use SG-1 but we can use something else."

Jack suggested after a movie, "Wolverines."

Daniel countered, "The station we found is named _Hermes_ as in the messenger god." He looked to Anna, "Didn't you tell me your great, great grandfather was a Pony Express station master?"

"Three greats," she nodded. "His name was Aloysius Hunter but he had this weird cowboy name."

Amused Jack asked, "What was his cowboy name?"

"Teaspoon!" she giggled.

Jack nodded, "I like it!"

Daniel sighed for he was interrupted again. "I was gonna ask what town was he the station master in."

"Sweetwater." she replied.

A grin crept across Jack's face, "We can always call ourselves Planet Express." He waited to see who would catch the reference to another cartoon he favored but it seemed no one did.

Daniel sighed, "Sounds like something out of the _Simpson's_, Jack."

He shrugged, "Close."

Walter spoke, "I suggest if you need access to the SGC you just radio me the say: 'Anna's team SOS'. I will know it's your SG-1 team and you need help with that alone."

Hammond agreed, "Good idea, Walter. Anna's team will send us a SOS if they need help."

Jack cocked his head, "It's my team!"

He disagreed, "She owns the Gate that you are using."

Anna asked, "So all I need to do to get my own team is own the Gate that they using?"

Daniel added, "Apparently!"

Sam tried to not laugh as she added, "Owning a Stargate can get you pretty far these days."

Anna laughed, "Far! A Stargate can get ya far. You're funny, Sam! I almost didn't catch that pun."

Sam wasn't trying to make a pun but just an observation she found humorous. She smiled nodded after Anna pointed the pun out. "I can be funny," she figured for it seemed it was Jack who had the sense of humor. She glanced at her team for assurance.

Jack nodded in agreement.

Daniel stated, "You have a more civil sense of humor, Sam. Jack on the other hand…his sense of humor is more juvenile."

Anna disagreed, "I don't think Jack's sense of humor is juvenile; it's a bit more dark…kind of like a cop or fireman's sense of humor."

Jack mentioned, "When I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman and drive a fire truck."

Daniel smirked, "I thought you wanted to be John Wayne." The joke was in reference to the cowboy outfit they donned as a disguise.

"Funny," he miffed at him.

Anna suggested, "You can always join the local volunteer fire department, Jack. You got over two years before you can go back to Colorado Springs anyways."

"Maybe I will," he smiled to himself.

**Two Months Later**

Christmas Day had arrived. The cold and snow had set in and time off world through the Gate was limited due to the weather and other obligations. Jack led Sam, Daniel and Anna back to the space station a few more times in the last two months at Daniel's request as he needed to do more research in the station logs. He gathered a list of new addresses to dial in hopes of finding the ZPM depot.

In the living room a large Christmas tree sat beside the fire place. It was decorated with vintage glass ornaments that belonged to Anna's parents and grandparents. At the base were a few wrapped gifts waiting to be opened.

Jack walked into the living room early that morning. He wore a red bathrobe over a pair of light blue pajamas and warm brown slippers. He got to the tree and removed a small gift from his pocket and slipped in on a branch. He stepped back and glanced over the tree and gifts sitting below. He wondered how Anna did it! How did she get Daniel to agree to celebrate Christmas? As to the best of Jack's knowledge, Daniel never celebrated Christmas and would work when most men had taken time off to be with their families for the holidays. Jack had not celebrated Christmas since his son died and for the first time he felt like he had a family again, thought it wasn't the family he imagined. He took a seat on one of the large leather chairs and just pondered his situation. Over the last three years, Teal'c would often leave the base during the holidays and not tell him much about where he went once he came back to the SGC. Teal'c would also claim he went to see his people off world but never said anything about his visit to his people. Teal'c was due to come to the ranch that day and spend his first Christmas on Earth with an older version of SG-1 and Anna. He shook his head and laughed to himself at how Teal'c got away with the scheme and he was never the wiser. Jack figured Teal'c had been helping them for three years on the ranch and he never knew until now. For a brief moment he wondered how his ex-wife was doing that morning but then let the thought go from his mind.

Daniel walked into the room next. He wore a blue green robe and yellow pajamas. He carried a wrapped gift box in his hands. "Morning, Jack!" he nodded and then placed the gift under the tree.

Jack smirked, "What ya get me, Daniel?"

"It's for Anna." he told him. "I had to hide it from her." He peered at the gifts, "These are all to us from Anna. She didn't have to get us anything."

"She won't have many Christmases in this old house much longer. Let her enjoy it, Daniel. It's her childhood home she's losing." Jack then sighed, "Boy that's got to be hard her. This house was in her family for generations and now, it's all gonna be down and turned into a mining operation."

"Her father and grandfather both grew up in this house." Daniel gave a nod as he looked about the room. "It's more than just memories…It's a family connection." He stood up and went to the other chair beside Jack and sat down. He looked at the tree and simply enjoyed the decorations before him.

Anna walked into the room next to plug in the lights of the tree. She was already dressed in jeans and wore an ugly Christmas sweater. She found Jack and Daniel sitting in her parent's chairs looking upon the site. She smirked, "Hey the odd couple is up!" She went to the wall and plugged in the lights. She stepped out before the pair, "Merry Christmas!" She then hugged Jack.

"Merry Christmas," he held her tight while still sitting in the chair.

She then went to Daniel smiled, "Merry Christmas," and then gently kissed his lips.

"Merry Christmas," he softly replied kissing her back.

Jack asked, "The Odd Couple?"

"You two are Felix and Oscar," she insisted. "I'm gonna start the coffee." She walked by the pair and headed for the kitchen.

Jack looked at Daniel and, "Are you Felix or am I?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he simply enjoyed the day. He glanced at the calendar on the wall. Each day was marked with a black X that had passed. Today would be another day in the countdown.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

A year had passed since Anna found Sam, Jack and Daniel on her property. During that time the smaller Stargate was running perfectly while stashed in the barn and surrounded by bales of hay. Jack had taken the time to teach Anna hand-to-hand combat and other combat skills including how to use a rifle and sidearm in a combat situation. Jack also joined the local fire department and soon Sam also joined as well. They became known to the locals in the town and well respected. But the local had no idea of their true identities or the secret lives they lived.

Daniel spent his time gathering clues from the dial out for new Gate addresses and attempted to get the town to agree to a museum for the founding family. He found the town liked the idea of a museum but didn't wish to actually commit to the proposal for that would require money.

Anna walked into the house after getting the mail. She found a letter from the town and feared what the news could be. She went to the table after walking to the kitchen. She found Sam sitting in a pair of blue shorts and a gray t-shirt at the table as she read a book and waited for the tea to brew. She fiddled with the necklace that Jack gave her for Christmas. It was a simple heart pendant that was engraved with initials. It didn't cost much for none had an actual income at the time.

Sam glanced up as Anna opened the letter upon taking a seat nearby. She watched Anna's expression as her eyes danced over the letter. "What is it?" she asked.

"The town just upped my assessment based on the naquadah ore that was found." she gulped.

"How much?" she asked.

"Fifty million dollars." she told her as she let the letter fall from her grasp.

Sam grabbed the paper for that could not be correct. Her eyes read the words, "They jacked it up!" She gasped, "They really do want to the land."

"They want to take the land in foreclosure and then sell it to a mining operation." she told her. "Look, they even rezoned it on me. I can't sell of any parcels off now."

"Damn," Sam pinched her lips tight. "When will you get the next tax bill?"

"School taxes will come in a few months. I'm sure they are gonna be planning major expansions for the school with the money that want for my land." She sat back feeling defeated. "I don't want the town to take it on me. Shit! I will donate this land to the SGC before I let them just take it like this."

"That's not for another two years." Sam reminded her. "We can tell General Hammond about the new assessment and he can get directly involved. We can fix this."

She gave a sigh, "Think my tax bill will be ten million dollars? I think it will be."

"We will fix it," she assured her. "General Hammond will take care of this." She folded up the letter, "I'll call him and let him know today." She tried to get Anna's mind off the situation. "Daniel said he got a few more addresses to dial. You come with us this time. You don't have to stay and watch the controls all the time."

"Someone needs to stay and watch the Gate and controls when you guys dial off. Besides, you three are experts at that whole off world thing and I just tag along and get in the way."

Sam disagreed, "No! You're very valuable. Since you have the gene too you can turn on stuff before Jack can but you don't play with it like he does and we don't end up body switching or becoming invisible or anything like that. You keep Jack from getting us in a ton of trouble."

She smirked, "Jack and I just end up playing cards most of the time."

"And you keep him out of trouble." she insisted.

"If you say so," she shook her head. She assumed Sam was exaggerating about Jack getting them in trouble. "Let's get ready for the fireman's carnival."

Sam asked, "You still feel like going after this assessment?"

She nodded, "It will help keep my mind off it."

**Meanwhile**

Jack had saddled up a large white horse named Wager. He reminded Jack of the horse from the _Lone Ranger_, one of his favorite TV shows as a child. For Jack, the time on the ranch gave him the opportunity to live out his childhood for a second time in a strange way. When Jack was a child Westerns and Cowboys were all the rage and every little boy had a set of cap guns that looked just like the Lone Ranger's six shooters. Jack could shoot like a cowboy and even ride a horse but he didn't know how to use a lasso.

Anna had shown Jack had to use a lasso for she had been swinging a rope since she was a child. He had been practicing with the lasso that morning while riding Wager in the pasture. He would have Wager gallop by a fake bull with horns and he would toss the rope in an effort to lasso the horns. He was getting pretty good at the new skill when Daniel came marching out to the field with his notebook in hand and his head buried in the text.

Daniel called out, "Jack!" He paused and found Jack had been playing cowboy once more.

Jack coiled up the rope and rode over to Denial who stood in the middle of the pasture looking like the nerd he truly was at heart. He wore blue jeans and a black t-shirt with a bucket hat and held his precious notebook before him. He came to a stop before Daniel and leaned over the horn of the saddle much like John Wayne in a movie. He sported tan trousers and a white t-shirt with boots. "What is it, Daniel?" he asked.

"I found more references to what could be a ship in the…" he started to speak when he suddenly found a rope was tossed over him. He looked down and discovered Jack has lassoed him. He gave a displeased look, "What are doing?"

"Practicing," he smirked.

Daniel lifted the rope off, "I'm not a bull. Now…never mind…I'll go tell Sam and Anna what I found."

"I'll be inside in a few," Jack told him. "Just debrief us at the table."

"Fine," he rolled his eyes and walked away. He then stopped as his boot landed in something smelly and soft. He looked down and discovered he had stepped in manure. "Great!" he miffed and wiped the boot off on the nearby grass.

Jack smirked, "Watch where you are walking out here, Daniel."

"I am!" he huffed annoyed.

**Later That Day**

Daniel had called a briefing in the dining room. They sat around the table as Daniel explained his findings. "I have a few gate addresses that could be important. I keep finding references to a ship in the logs of the space station. I think the ship's name is Hermes and the station is designated by a number which is consistent with what Sam found in the computer."

Anna asked, "Why would the Ancients name the ship after a Greek god?"

"They wouldn't," he explained. "The Greek's named their gods after the Ancients in a roundabout way. The Ancients came first. The Ancient called the ship Argentumoues viviumous, which is translated to Quick Silver which is another name for Mercury but that is Roman so it has to be Hermes."

Anna asked, "Maybe the name is Quick Silver?"

Daniel countered, "The Ancients wouldn't name the ship after a thermometer. They were a very sophisticated and extremely intelligent race."

Jack stated, "I like Quick Silver!"

Anna asked, "If they were so advanced then what happened to them?"

"A plague came through," Daniel informed. "Most died off but some Ascended to a higher life form."

"Ascended?" she asked.

"It's when you can expand your mind to the point where you no longer need a body. Like an Angel." he reached to explain the concept.

"Hmm," she pondered. "If some of these Ancient ascended to become Angels then could some have become demons?"

Daniel didn't have the answer and had to guess, "I suppose that could happen. I'm not sure." He focused on the briefing, "One of the addresses is known Goa'uld outpost under a Goa'uld named Ba'al."

Jack let out a sigh, "Not him again."

Sam added, "There are other planets on the list including a few that I remember that we were schedulable to dial out soon right before we got sent back. One was a planet called Langara that recon missions found to be inhabited by humans and their technology is about where we were during World War Two."

Daniel added, "And another on our list from the station is a known To'kra outpost. So, which do we dial first?"

Anna asked, "Didn't you say the To'kra are our friends?"

Daniel nodded, "Yes I did and yes they are."

"Let's go there first." she figured that made more sense.

Sam stated, "During this time Apophis is the main threat but Ba'al is also pretty threatening. We need to be careful going to unknown outpost. We could come across enemy fire."

Anna concluded, "On dial outs where there is a potential for enemy fire you three go and I stay and guard the Gate in case you need backup."

Jack told her, "If we need backup, you call Hammond and he can send it."

"Okay," she agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jack, Sam and Daniel emerged from the Gate sporting the disguises. The homemade MALP indicated no activity and thus they decided to check the situation out while Anna stayed behind with orders to contact General Hammond if they needed help. The area seemed quiet and non-eventful. Hills and trees were in the distance. The full size Stargate sat on a stone platform behind them.

Jack gave Sam a half smile, "Look Carter! More trees!" he kidded her.

She chuckled, "I can't believe I was naïve enough to actually explain that to you when you understood why there were trees all along."

Jack admitted, "When you get in one of those things you can be fun to watch."

She asked, "Is that when you started play dumb?"

He nodded, "It's fun to watch!"

Daniel glanced back at the pair, "Outpost should be a mile to the west." He started to march ahead.

"Daniel!" Jack called.

He paused and turned about, "What? Anna's waiting for us alone in that barn. We need to hurry!"

"We move cautiously," he reminded him. "We don't have T with us."

"Okay," he agreed.

Soon they made their way to a nearby trail. They started to walk keeping an eye out for signs of trouble. After a few meters they heard a branch snap. They came to a halt. Jack motioned for them to take cover in the nearby brush.

They scrambled for cover and then watch a small squad of Jaffa walk by. Sam and Daniel both noticed that each Jaffa had different brandings which was odd for a Goa'uld. Ba'al would have had the Jaffa re-branded with his symbol.

Slowly Sam, Jack and Daniel emerged and continued towards the outpost. They soon arrived at the shirts of the outpost. The outpost was located on top of a large hill and concealed by a rocky edge. The entrance was through a cave below. In the mouth of the cave two familiar figures emerged. Bra'tac stood with Jacob Carter.

Jack quickly figured, "I think the Free Jaffa got the outpost now."

Sam gasped, "My father is here."

"I see that," Jack nodded.

From behind they heard another twig snap. Jack turned around and came face to face with a Jaffa guard who had caught them. He slowly raised his hands, "I come in peace."

The young Jaffa didn't know he just captured SG-1. He thought they were pirates of some kind. He gave orders for them to move in his native language.

Sam, Jack and Daniel all stepped onto the trail and were frog marched to the mouth of the cave where Jacob and Bra'tac stood. As they came in the line of sight Jacob blinked for he spied his daughter dressed not as her usual self but rather looking like a biker.

"Sammy!" he gasped at her. His eyes settled on Jack and Daniel. "Jack! Daniel!" he sounded rather surprised. He looked them over for this was highly unusual dress for SG-1.

Jack greeted, "Hey Jacob!" He smiled to his friend, "Bra'tac!"

"Colonel O'Neill!" the old Jaffa looked on baffled and confused.

"Carter can explain," he motioned towards Sam. He then looked to the Jaffa behind them, "Can you tell him to lower his weapon?"

Jacob stated to the guard, "It's okay Me'ke. This is SG-1."

Jack gave a smirk at the surprised guard, "Nice to meet ya, Mike." He then let his hands fall for he no longer feared being shot.

Sam spoke up, "Dad! You cannot tell anyone who we are! No one can know we are SG-1. There are two versions of me, Daniel and the Colonel. We accidentally traveled three years into the past and we need to avoid running into ourselves until we catch up to when we left. We're here looking for information that could lead a ship or a ZPM depot."

"I just saw you in the SGC yesterday, Sam." he replied still processing in his mind what she said.

"I know," she nodded. "That was me too. That me has not gone back through time yet. You can't tell her that you saw me or any of us."

Jack asked, "So when did you guys get this outpost?"

"Recently, Jack!" Jacob told him. "We don't know how long we can hold it for though. Ba'al will return with reinforcements." He cocked his head to the side, "Is that a cap and ball, Jack?" He motioned towards the outdated revolver.

"Yes!" he nodded.

"What's with the cowboy outfit?" Jacob wondered.

"I'm not supposed to be me!" he informed.

Sam stated, "We're using disguises and we're supposed to be pirates."

Jacob admitted, "You three don't look like pirates."

Jack huffed, "It's the best we got!"

**Few Hours Later**

Anna paced back and forth in the barn for Sam, Jack and Daniel were very late dialing back. She wondered if she should call General Hammond or what she should do. She decided to dial the Gate and send the MALP. She went to the bale of hay and gathered the toy and came to the wooden table to dial out. She paused, "What if the bad guys have them and they need help right away?" She then figured she better call George Hammond. She went to the wall with an old black telephone that was connected to the landline. She dialed the SGC as a guest. She found she was on hold automatically. She waited for a few more minutes but didn't seem to be able to get the past the automated answering machine. She then hung up the phone and looked at the little Gate and the toy MALP. She bit her lip in thought, "I might need to go after them!" she concluded. She walked out of the old wooden barn and over to the small barn that housed her horses. She called with a whistle for the horses to come from the pasture.

Sandy came immediately followed by Ginger and Wager. She gathered the three and led them to the barn. Inside the barn she put a saddle on each horse and a bridle with a lead leash. She then led the three horses out of the barn and across to the old larger wooden barn. She put them to the side of the smaller Gate and then went to the computer and started to dial the last address that Sam had dialed. The wormhole soon established and she took the MALP and sent it through wondering what come on screen.

The screen soon focused and the scene was not good. Sam, Jack and Daniel were all before the larger Stargate with their hands in the air and surrounded by Jaffa loyal to Ba'al. The battle for the outpost was a complete failure. She spotted a few Jaffa that were also taken prisoner on the screen along with a man wearing a brown tunic who sported gray hair. She winced for the situation was dire.

She walked to the front of the Gate and grabbed a rope off the studded beam and attached it to her saddle. She leaned down and yanked on the rope that brought the toy truck back through the wormhole and then she mounted Sandy and held the lead to Ginger and Wager in her hand. She then backed the horses up to the bales of hay.

"Yaw!" she dug in her heels to the side of the horse.

Sandy took off in a gallop right through the wormhole with Ginger and Wager in tow.

**Outpost**

Sam cocked her eye as she spied the toy truck that came through the Gate. She it was Anna who dialed to check on them and she assumed she would call General Hammond immediately.

The Jaffa loyal to Ba'al stood baffled by the toy truck that had come through and as one Jaffa leaned over to pick it up the toy it was yanked back through the wormhole by the attached rope. The Jaffa stood shocked for nothing could be taken back through the wormhole in such a matter as far as they knew. It was ungodly to be able to return back into the wormhole.

Jack smirked, "Gotta be quicker than that!" Jack didn't expect what would happen next. He figured the wormhole would dissipate and then reestablish with in a hour and SG teams would come to the rescue. Instead three horses galloped through the event horizon much like a scene from movie. Sandy leaped over the stairs with Wager and Ginger flowing behind. His eyes grew wide as he found Anna was on horseback and coming to his rescue.

The horses galloped right past the guards as Anna used her foot to knock down the leader of the Jaffa troop. She rode right to Jack, Sam and Daniel. "Get on!" she huffed.

Jack scrambled to Wager and climbed on the horses back. He reached down with an arm for Jacob, "Get on!"

Jacob climbed on behind Jack and patted his shoulder, "Now that's what I call the Calvary, Jack!" he yelled in his ear.

Daniel mounted Ginger and then helped Bra'tac get on behind him as Anna reached down for Sam to get on Sandy with her.

Anna found they were under fire from the Jaffa staff weapons. She never saw a staff weapon before but she figured it would be easy to rope. She put Sandy into a gallop and then took the rope and swirled it above her head. She landed two staff weapons with her first attempt and cinched the rope tight around the expanded head of the weapon. She wrapped the end of the rope around the horn off the saddle and pulled the weapons from the hands of the Jaffa.

Sam started to gather the rope to pull the staff weapons to her. She yelled to Anna, "I need to dial back. Get me to the DHD."

Anna rode circles around the Jaffa and back around to the DHD. Sam slid off and started to dial out to evacuate. The Free Jaffa took advantage of the disruption and began to fight the Jaffa loyal to Ba'al in hand-to-hand combat.

The Gate started to dial out as Anna gathered the rope and the two staff weapons at the end. She wasn't sure what to do with the weapons for she never saw one before much less fired one.

The leader of the Ba'al loyalist scrambled to his feet and raised a Zat gun and leveled in on Anna. He fired and it hit her square on the side.

She shook slightly and rubbed her side, "What the hell was that?" She looked over at the wide-eyed leader for she should have been unconscious.

He fired again thinking it would kill her. He hit her once more but she shook the blast off much like a bee sting.

His eyes grew narrow and he aimed a third time to destroy her. He fired once more as Daniel rode by and Bra'tac kicked the Zat gun from his grasp.

Anna rubbed her side after taking a third blast and looked on annoyed. To her it was like being stung by a wasp. She didn't understand the Jaffa was trying to kill her. Her side was sore and she could feel a welt forming. She rubbed the spot, "You son of bitch! That hurt!" she muttered.

Sam climbed on Sandy once more and huffed, "Go for the Gate now!"

Anna kicked Sandy to go, "Yaw!" she leaned forward. The horse took off and Anna guided her back through the Gate with Jack and the others following close behind.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The horses came to an abrupt halt after emerging from the Stargate at the Alpha site. Sam knew she could not dial the smaller Gate in Anna's barn for Anna reached the maximum capacity when she brought the horses through. In order to return to the ranch they would have to do so separately.

"Whoa Wager!" Jack called bringing the horse to a stop. He found the guards at the site gathered around him. The young men looked on rather confused for SG-1 just arrived and they were not dressed in uniform.

Daniel brought Ginger over to Anna. He leaned across worried for she was hit and told her, "You were hit!"

"He stung me with that zap gun thing." she nodded still rubbing her side.

Bra'tac stated, "You were hit three times." He looked upon her wondering how she could possibly be alive.

Sam asked, "Anna was hit more than once?"

Daniel confirmed, "Three times!"

She started to lift Anna's shirt from the side, "I need to see the wound, Anna."

"It's okay," she complained as Sam sat behind her and lifted the side of her shirt exposing a large red area on her side with welting skin. "I was stung by that that zapper thing."

"Anna," Sam then slid down from the back of the horse. She turned towards the medic, "I need a first aid kit!" she then looked back at her friend, "That was a called a Zat gun. The first hit will render someone unconscious. The second hit will kill. The third hit designates flesh and bone."

She shook her head, "No, it was like being hit a swarm of wasps."

"Your DNA was altered by the naquadah on your land! That's only reason you survived it." Sam insisted. She looked to Bra'tac, "Anna's family suffered generational exposure to very pure naquadah on Earth and it made her cells very tough."

The old Jaffa gasped, "I see!"

Jacob figured, "You're friend is from Earth?"

"She's helping us until we can catch up with ourselves, Dad." Sam replied.

Anna figured, "You're Sam's dad!"

He nodded, "I'm retired General Jacob Carter. I take it these are your horses?"

"They are!" she confirmed.

"You saved our bacon." he informed and then slid down from Wager. He walked over to her and offered a hand, "I never saw anything like that! Thank you!"

"My pleasure," she shook his hand. She then slid off Sandy. She was concerned for her horse and looked the animal over for any wounds, "Did that Zat gun get Sandy too?" she wondered.

Daniel assured, "Just you!" He dismounted Ginger after Bra'tac.

Sam was handed a first aid kit so she could tend to the wound on Anna's side. She tried to get Anna to cooperate. "I need to look at the wound and put something on it."

"I got aloe plants at home." she waved it off.

Sam insisted, "You need to be checked over."

"I'm fine! Just a little sore…Like a bad bee sting." she disagreed.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me put something on that huge welt you got on your side." Sam insisted.

Anna grew frustrated and huffed, "Fine!" pulling her shirt up on the side. "Just spray some first-aid shit on it and get it over with."

Sam dug out a can of first aid spray and applied the medication. She was not happy about Anna's attitude when it came to treating her injury.

Jacob asked, "Where did you find this one?"

Jack explained, "She found us!"

After Sam sprayed the wound Anna tucked back in her shirt. She asked, "Why didn't you bring us back to the barn, Sam?"

"With you and three horses it was at the maximum capacity for the buffers on that little Gate. We would not have made it back. It wouldn't have taken another riders." she explained. "So, I dialed the Alpha site instead. The horses will be safe here for now until we can dial back."

Anna asked, "Until we can dial back?"

"We have to warn the Free Jaffa and the Tok'ra about Ba'al. He's moving fast." she told her. "We can't go back now."

"What about Pepper?" she asked concerned.

Sam figured, "We can get a message to General Hammond and he can have someone take care of the other pony."

Jacob asked, "Pony?"

Jack explained, "She got this little pony named Pepper. He's the smallest horse. He's too small for an adult to ride."

"He's for kids to ride." she reminded him. "I gotta get back to the ranch and take care of things." she figured.

Sam shook her head, "You need to see Janet! You just took three hits from a Zat gun." She looked to Jack, "We need to get a hold of General Hammond, tell him to get someone to the ranch to take care of the pony and have Janet come here to examine Anna."

Anna sighed, "This is such bull."

**Few Hours Later**

The message was sent to General Hammond through the Gate and action was taken. Janet soon came to the Alpha site to check Anna's wound which seemed to be nearly healed as far the doctor could tell.

Janet looked at Sam as Anna sat on the table before them looking peeved and holding the side of her shirt up. "You sure she was hit?" Janet asked.

"Three times," she nodded.

"It's nearly healed." she declared.

Anna mocked, "Does that mean I can go now, mommy?"

Sam shook her finger, "You're the one who put me charge."

She rolled her eyes and put her shirt back down.

Janet asked, "Anna put you in charge of the team?"

"Me and Daniel." she smiled with a nod.

"What about Colonel O'Neill?" she asked.

"His job is security." she informed.

"General Hammond approved that?" Janet wondered.

Anna spoke up, "It's my Gate! What's to approve?"

Janet blinked, "What do you mean it's your Gate?"

Anna recalled Daniel's explanation. "It's technology. Not an archeological site. It's like finding an old abandoned car on your property. The car belongs to the new owner. The only way I can lose it is if an Ancient shows up and claims it."

Amused Janet asked, "And what will you do if an Ancient claims it?"

"I got a lot of land and a backhoe." she simply stated.

Janet glanced at Sam who nodded, "She has a tractor with a backhoe attachment."

The doctor assumed, "So you will bury the little Gate to hide it."

"Not the Gate," Anna disagreed with a wag of her head.

Janet shook her head and stated, "You can get off the table now, Anna. I can't find anything wrong and any sign of the Zat gun hit is gone. You do know that no one else has ever survived three hits."

She hopped down, "I was told!" She looked at Sam, "So…can we all go home now?"

"Daniel thinks he has an address to the ship we are found references too in the outpost." Sam informed. "We're going to see if we can find it next."

Janet stated, "I wish I could come but I got to get back to base before other you figures out that I'm gone."

"I understand," Sam agreed.

Anna asked, "Since we are going on yet another mission, what about weapons? You guys lost my guns when you were captured."

"We have a weapons depot here." Sam smirked. "And a couple of staff weapons that you lassoed."

Janet gasped, "She lassoed staff weapons!"

Sam nodded.

"I bet General Hammond wishes he saw that happen." she gathered.

"It impressed the hell out of my father." she agreed.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Anna found herself off world with Jack, Sam and Daniel for the next few days as they went from Gate to Gate looking for more clues to the allusive ship and ZPM depot. Hammond did manage to quietly bring back the horses to the SGC and have them loaded into a trailer and driven back to the ranch in Utah as he personally oversaw the operation. He left Janet in charge of the SGC using his vacation time as an excuse as went to the ranch to ensure the horses and the smaller Stargate would be taken care of.

After days spent on a fruitless search Sam dialed back to the smaller Gate in the barn on Boulder Ranch. They stepped through exhausted and wearing green dirty civilian clothes and armed with weapons issues from the Alpha site. George Hammond waited before the event horizon wearing tan trousers, a white button down shirt and a tan ranch jacket for the returning team.

Jack stepped through grateful to find his friend, "George!"

"Jack," he smiled back. "Anything?" he asked for an update.

"Every address was a dead end," he shook his head.

Ann asked, "How are the horses?"

George assured her, "The horses are just fine. That's a fine pony you got there in the barn too. I know you just got back but I wanted you to know if you do need to find a home for the horses my granddaughters would love that little pony. My daughter would have room for the others if you need a place to board them."

"How old are your granddaughters?" she wondered.

"Six and seven." he replied.

"I guess Pepper has two little girls!" she stated. "He's real good with kids. Take him!"

Sam, Daniel and Jack all stood and blinked rather surprised.

George asked, "You sure?"

She nodded, "I know once this place becomes a mining operation the horses have to go and I want to make sure they get good homes. I'll try to hang onto Sandy as long as possible since she's the oldest and this is all she knows."

"I understand," George agreed.

Daniel puckered, "Ginger is kind of my horse. You're not gonna just sell her."

Jack added, "Wager is the only horse that likes me! You can't sell him." Never could Jack have imagined that he would get attached to a horse but after spending time on the ranch he found each horse had its own personality, likes and dislikes. He grew rather found of Wager and didn't want to lose him.

Sam asked him, "You want to keep Wager? He's a horse! It's not like a dog!"

Jack admitted, "Wager is way smarter than a dog." He spoke to Anna, "You should have named him Silver though."

She informed, "My father named him after a bet."

"Huh?" he asked.

"Wager was a bet with a local rancher. The bet was who would guess the day, time and gender of the horse when he was born. Tickets were sold and whoever guessed the closest won. My dad got the closest and won the colt. So, he named him Wager." she told the story.

Jack pondered the tale, "I knew there was a reason I liked that horse."

Daniel asked, "Still think he should be named Silver, Jack?"

He admitted, "Wager is a cool name!"

"So it is," Hammond agreed with a smile. He looked at Anna, "I'll have arrangements for Pepper to go to the girls. You can come and visit anytime."

"Thank you," she smiled grateful. She looked at her friends, "I'm tired and I need a shower and hot meal. We can do more of this whole Stargate thing later." She motioned for the door.

They soon walked outside and found the sun was setting. George admitted, "I wish I'd known about this ranch earlier. I would have taken my hunting trips here instead of Texas." He continued into the house. "I'll be heading back to the SGC first thing in the morning."

Everyone took a seat at the kitchen table.

Anna reminded him, "You can come and hunt on my land anytime, General." She then took a seat at the kitchen table to rest for a moment. She looked over the tired faces, "Maybe we should order a pizza tonight?" she suggested.

Sam agreed, "We can do that." She then asked Hammond, "What about the rifles we got from the Alpha site, sir? We already have our P-90 rifles that we came back with in the gun safe here."

Anna suggested, "Why not have George just take those rifles back with him to the SGC. Those rifles are not civilian! They fully automatic and if someone saw those…I could go to prison for having one of them here."

Sam explained, "The rifles we traveled through time with already exist and every rifle is logged at the base. If General Hammond takes those rifles back then there will two of the same rifle with the same serial number. He can take back what he got at the Alpha site."

George agreed, "I will return what was taken from the Alpha site. The other rifles will have remain locked up in that safe, Anna. I can also reimburse you the cost of the lost weapons. You will have to replace them."

"The local gun shop is gonna love me," she mentioned.

Jack asked, "Can I use that Dirty Harry gun you got in your safe?"

"My dad's forty four mag?" she asked.

He nodded, "That one!"

"But it takes a cartridge." she reminded him.

"But the casing stay in the gun and I can put the expended casing in my pocket and reload a heck of a lot faster than I can with a cap and ball."

She had to agree, "That's true! But the armor!"

Sam stated, "I can make a bullet with a naquadah core and we can use the reloading bench in the hunter's room."

"That's hasn't been used since my dad." she remarked.

"We can use it now." she figured.

Daniel added, "We need new radios too." He looked to George, "The new walkie-talkies will do. They call it family mobile service and _Radio Shack_ has them."

"I'll make sure you get some funding." he agreed. He mentioned, "I must say that pizza sounds good." he looked to Anna.

She stood up, "I'll go place the order." She left the kitchen to use the phone in the living room.

Hammond then looked at Jack, "How is she doing off world?"

"I think she's bored playing guard." he told him.

Daniel added, "Anna is pretty bright. She asked me to teach her some of the Ancient symbols and she's catching on pretty quick."

Sam added, "She also has potential to learn the computer system and Ancient tech. I've found her watching what I am doing a lot too."

Hammond confessed, "Once we get this property I would like to recruit Anna to work in the SGC. We have two years! I need you and Dr. Jackson to get her to the level where I can bring her in as an expert. She only has a high school diploma. That alone will not be enough. But, if I can show that she was tutored by SG-1 then I have a far better change at getting her a commission and a place in the SGC."

Jack asked, "Does she know about this plan of yours, George?"

"Not yet." he confessed. "The town raised her assessment after mining companies showed interest in gaining the rights to mind the naquadah. It's gonna be hard to fight that assessment now. She owes back taxes on top of that. I don't see a good outcome. If the town and county foreclose for back taxes she will still owe those taxes even if the town leases out the mine. If the property is foreclosed and sold then usually the new owner would make those back taxes but from what I have gathered from sources, the town wants to own the property and lease it. That would leave Anna on the hook for millions in taxes. The only way I can save her from being saddled with millions in taxes for a property she won't even own is if the military claims it under national security reasons. At that point we can take the property and the smaller Gate."

Daniel asked, "Will she get compensated?"

"In that situation the military doesn't have to pay anything but I can make a case for a settlement that would pay off the taxes she already owes. The military would be claiming the land and leasing out the mining contract." he told them.

Sam's heart sank, "The town is screwing her over with the taxes. She's gonna walk away with nothing."

Hammond nodded, "Which is why I offered to take the horses and I have a plan to get her a commission in the Air Force and a career in the SGC if things go bad for her."

Jack figured, "You're making a safety net for her."

"I am," he agreed.

Anna walked back into the kitchen and announced, "Pizza will be here in about a half an hour. Anyone got any money to pay the delivery guy?"

"I'll take care of it." General Hammond assured her.

**Months Later**

The cold weather set in once more thus hampering efforts to dial off world and continue the search the depot and alleged ship. It was the New Year and Daniel tried to not hover over Anna as she took a test he authored just for her. It was based on the Ancient language and for her to decipher to English. He found she already studied Latin in preparation to go the Academy when she was younger and that retained knowledge had helped her learn Ancient.

Daniel paced about the room wearing jeans and a blue and white flannel shirt with brown slippers. He was nervous that she wouldn't pass for he unbeknownst to Anna he would be keeping every test she took as a record.

She glanced up and gave a sigh, "Daniel!"

He turned sharply, "Yes!" he acted like a nervous parent wanting for a newborn to arrive.

She kindly asked, "Can you go into the kitchen and get us some coffee while I finish your test?" She wanted him to leave the room for his pacing was annoying her.

He looked at the time on his wrist watch, "Five minutes!" he figured and quickly left to get a cup of coffee.

She shook her head, "Jeepers! Ya think I was taking a test to get a degree or something." She then worked to complete the test to prove to Daniel that she had indeed learned what he taught her.

**Meanwhile**

Sam and Jack sat in the kitchen as Daniel walked in for the coffee. Sam asked, "How is she doing?" she took a sip of coffee from a mug before on the table.

Daniel went to the percolator and confessed, "She's fine! I'm a nervous wreck. If I screwed up even the wording on that test it could cost her. I know she knows it."

Jack assured him, "She will do fine, Daniel. The question is how do we all submit her to test so we can a build a record for her and not tell her that is what we are doing?"

Sam suggested, "Maybe we should tell her why we are making her take test."

Daniel stated worried, "She's stressed out enough as it is. She's losing her home, her horses and still owes takes, bills, lawyer fees on top of all that she's helping us. The last thing I want to do is stress her out even more. It's better if she thinks it's just a game."

Jack stated, "I agree with Daniel! The kid is over a barrel and doesn't need to worry if she passed or failed a test. If she fails, we know what areas to work on without making things worse."

Sam slowly had to agree, "The Academy would be an added stress."

Jack shot a grin, "But this is our version of the Academy." He then teased, "This is Jack O'Neill's Stargate Academy and rules for Gate travel."

Amused Daniel asked, "What are the rules, Jack?"

He pondered, "Rule number one! Always be punctual."

Daniel puckered, "Like you?" He recalled Jack being late for work a few times as the man sat in his truck working a crossword puzzle.

"Hey! I was in the parking lot." he shrugged.

Sam laughed, "Rule number two…Always taunt your enemy and call them names."

Jack toyed, "Rule number three…Always expect Daniel to take twice as long as he said he would."

Daniel squinted, "Rule number four…Always expect Jack to touch something he should not."

Sam laughed, "He got ya there!"

Anna then walked into the kitchen, "Here's that test you made, Daniel?" She handed him the paper and went to gather herself some coffee since Daniel forgot.

He started to read over the results. He nodded with each decipher. He then stated, "You got everyone of these, Anna!"

"I passed!" she chuckled as she figured it was a meaningless test.

"One hundred percent!" he sighed relieved.

"Great!" she cheered as she stirred her mug of coffee. She turned around and glanced at Sam and Jack. Both had a coy look about them. "What?" she wondered what they were talking about.

Sam stated, "I have a test for you to take this afternoon."

"On what?" she asked baffled.

"What I've been teaching you about the Gate and the Ancient technology." she explained.

Anna asked, "What is this? Some kind of weird Stargate course or something."

Sam suggested, "If we can show that you have learned something then maybe we can use it to help you get a job at the SGC later."

She cocked her head, "You guys are giving me test hoping that Hammond will give me a job after I lose my land."

Jack explained, "It's a backup plan."

"Ah," she nodded doubting it would help. "I'll be lucky if I get a job cleaning. So, don't go crazy with that idea. Don't worry, Sam! I will take your test so you will know I was paying attention." She then took a sip of coffee, "I was thinking! So far every address we've dialed has been a bust. Maybe we need to go back to the cave and look at the glyphs again, Daniel? Maybe we missed something?"

"It wouldn't hurt." he agreed. "Of course getting up there will be a trek in the snow."

"We can wait till the thaw." she figured. "I can't risk any of us or a horse getting injured going up that icy path. Meantime, there is a winter carnival coming and I thought we would all go."

Jack glanced at his friend, "Sounds like fun."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Time was ticking down. The clock was getting closer to the day SG-1 went back in time with each passing week. It was now spring once more as Daniel and his friends rode back up the mountain to the cave that housed the secret room of hieroglyphs. Luckily the ground was still hard from the cold winter or they would have been deep in mud on the trail. The sun shined down and the air was still rather crisp the higher up in elevation they rode. Patches of snow lay about the forest as it slowly melted. They all rode on horseback: Jack rode Wager with Sam seated behind him. Daniel took Ginger and was in the lead and Anna rode beside Jack and Sam on Sandy.

Jack mentioned, "Now would be the perfect time to tap maple trees and make maple syrup."

Anna agreed, "Sure is! Too bad I don't have much for maple trees."

Sam figured, "Some of the local farmers might have some."

"Ted usually taps his trees," Anna recalled. "We can buy a jar for him."

"We're almost there!" Daniel shouted back over his shoulder as he rode. He soon found the entrance to the cave and came to a halt. He dismounted the horse and tied the reigns to a nearby tree.

Jack and Anna soon followed suit and dismounted their horses and wrapped the reigns around a tree limb to anchor the horses to the spot.

Daniel retrieved the flashlight that he kept on his belt in a leather sheath. Over the years Daniel had gotten a new look for the ranch work. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt under a tan ranch jacket. He sported a thick brown leather belt that held a multi-tool in a sheath, a flashlight and a folding lock back knife. On his head wore a cattleman's style tan hat that he found kept him rather warm in the winter and yet cool in the summer.

Sam and Jack also seemed to have adopted the rancher look with their civilian attire. Jack wore tan trousers and a matching jacket and cowboy hat while Sam found herself in black jeans with a blue flannel shirt and wearing a long overcoat and a floppy style hat. Sam kept a 357 magnum revolver tucked inside her belt for protection from the wild animals as Jack favored a lever forty-four magnum action rifle in a leather scarab mounted to the saddle.

Anna slipped off her horse still in her basic blue jeans and purple and white flannel shirt and wearing a down vest and black wide brim hat. Around her waist she wore a holster on a belt that carried a cap and ball revolver that Jack bought her from Christmas. It was silver in color with imitation ivory handles. It was rare for Jack to find a girl that he could gift with a gun. Most women did not care about weaponry much less vintage reproductions. Anna mentioned that she liked a thirty-six caliber revolver at the gun shop in town and Jack decided he was gonna buy it for her. At first he feared that he might make Sam jealous but instead she purchased the matching holster and loading kit for the gun to give to Anna. Then Sam assured him that she would buy her own handgun and purchased the 357 magnum revolver for herself.

Daniel led the way into the cave, "It should be back here." He told them anxious to get back to the room. He found the end of the cave and the small square doorway that he had to crawl through. Upon squeezing through, he fixed his hat and then shined the light on the walls. His eyes scanned looking for what he must have missed.

Behind Daniel came Sam, Anna and Jack through the small opening. They stood up after crawling through the small opening and shined flashlight about. Anna found that she could now read much of the Ancient symbols. Her lip curled, "I can actually read some of this now."

"You are a good student." Daniel agreed. "What did I miss?" he asked himself scanning the walls. He couldn't find anything new. Everything was as he recalled.

"What's that?" Anna asked pointing towards an area on one of the walls near the floor.

Daniel glanced over, "What's what?" he wondered. He saw nothing unusual.

"This!" she told him and walked over to the wall. Her finger traced a faint line that made a large square from the floor to her thigh.

Daniel came near, "I didn't even see that."

Sam reminded him, "Anna's vision is exceptional due to the naquadah. She can see things real well in a darken area."

Daniel slowly nodded as his fingers traced the line. He then used the butt of his flashlight to tap the stone around the line. He listened carefully for any change in pitch. He could hear a slight change in pitch from the tapping near the line. He asked Anna, "You hear anything?"

She nodded, "The tapping was different near the line. You think maybe it's a secret door or something?" she asked excited.

"It could be!" he agreed. He removed his folding knife from the sheath and opened the blade. Gently he started to scrap at the line. Mortar fell out onto the floor. He concluded, "This is cemented in." He kept digging at the line until he got the layer of mortar out. He then tried to get his fingertips on the block to remove it. He called back, "Jack! Give me a hand here."

Jack came to the other side of the block and tried to get a grip on the block. He stated, "This is not going to be easy to get out of here, Daniel. We need a crowbar."

"It's not a thick block," he disagreed. "We can work it out." Little by little the block wiggled closer until an edge appeared around the area.

Sam suggested, "Why don't you have Anna help you remove it? She's strong and can get her hands in tight places."

Jack glanced at Anna, "Get the bottom!"

She handed Sam her flashlight and dropped to her knees by the block. She placed her hands under the bottom edge and began to pull with the two men. The block moved out further but still had much left inside the wall.

Jack looked at a foot of rock sticking out before him, "Not that thick, huh!" he huffed annoyed.

"Not that thick for a block." Daniel informed.

The trio managed to remove the thick heavy block and place it aside. They took a break after the feat. Anna brushed off her hands and sat on top of the block for a moment to rest.

Daniel looked over at her. "There is Ancient text on the back of that block." he squawked.

"That side," she nodded and pointed towards her leg.

"We don't want to damage that." he hinted for her to move off the block.

She stood up and moved aside as she complained, "It's engraved into rock! How can it be damaged?" she balked. They then wondered, "If these Ancients had real high tech technology then why engrave things in rock? That would take a lot of work!"

Sam figured, "With their technology they engrave in the rock in seconds. Think of it as a billboard sign."

"Oh," she pondered. "But our billboards are better."

"How's that?" Sam wondered.

"Ours have pictures." she figured.

Jack smirked, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

"Exactly!" she agreed.

Daniel was busy looking into the hole. He reported, "It's a tunnel. I can see the end. I think there is another block. I'm gonna crawl in and see if I can push it through." He removed his hat and started into the tunnel on hands and knees. It was a tight fit for the man but he was determined to find out where that tunnel led. He got to the end but he could not budge the block. He crawled backwards out. He stood back up and reported, "The tunnel is about eight feet long and it's sealed at the end. I can't budge the block."

Sam stated, "Let Anna try! She's stronger than all of us combined." She looked to Anna who had sat back down on the block that Daniel told her to not sit on.

"I don't wanna go in there. There might be spiders in there." she objected.

Daniel tried to coax her, "Don't you want to see what's on the other side?"

"Not really," she shook her head.

Sam tried to coax her as well, "Girl power, Anna!" she cheered, "You can do it!"

"Screw girl power," she shook her head. It was a dark tunnel and she didn't know what creature she could find as her mind imagined a pit of snakes.

Jack smirked at her, "Chicken!" He understood she didn't like the creepy looks of the tunnel and neither did he for that matter.

"I am not," she rebuked.

"Brawk, brawk," he mocked her.

"Fine!" she stood up determined to not let Jack mock her and call her a chicken. She removed her hat and crawled into the tunnel complaining about it the entire time. "Damn, dirty tunnel. I swear if I get bit by something deadly I'm gonna kill someone." She got the end in short time and pushed with her shoulder. The block wiggled slightly but was still too heavy. She yelled back, "It's too heavy to push with my shoulder. I think I can turn around and push with my feet." She then managed to turn herself around inside the tunnel and lie on her back and place her boots on the block. She began to use her legs to push the block though the opening.

Jack watched her turn around inside the small tunnel and push with her feet. He mentioned to Sam and Daniel, "We should put her on SG-1 with us and T. Teal'c has the height and leverage and she's so compact we can put her in tight places."

Sam simply nodded amused.

Daniel agreed, "We could go to a five man team." He then watched as she scooted herself through to the other side. "What did you find?" he yelled.

She yelled back, "I can see a little bit but it's so dark I need a light."

Daniel started to crawl into the tunnel first followed by Sam who still had Anna's light and then Jack. As the archeologist emerged he shined the light about the room. It was another golden room with more symbols on the walls. Solid gold boxes of different sized were stacked by the wall.

Anna went over to the golden boxes and found each had symbols. She read off the top box, "Something power." She looked at Sam, "Should I open it?"

"Slowly," she nodded holding the light.

Anna lifted the lid gently off the top. Inside the box was black padding that was similar to foam but was much denser. She lifted a sheet of the strange foam and found a large oblong object with a flat top. She lifted the ZPM up from the bed of foam and it glowed with her touch.

Sam couldn't believe her eyes, "It's a ZPM!"

"What we have been looking for?" she asked.

She nodded, "Is that the only one in the box?" She dug down inside and found another layer of foam. After lifting the material she found two more modules. "That's three!"

Daniel was scanning over the walls and reported, "This is a store room for the equipment that was to be used to make the outpost in the mountain." He then went to the cover and looked at the inscription, "This box is the ZPM depot for the outpost. The depot must refer to a box containing the ZPM's for each project." He shined the light below, "Are there more boxes of ZPM's?"

Sam stated, "We have to go through each box to find out."

Anna lifted the empty ZPM box and placed in on the cement floor. She wondered, "Is the box solid gold or just plated?"

Sam explained, "It's solid gold! The Ancients needed the gold to protect the ZPM's in long term storage. Solid gold would have special properties that would help contain the energy fields given off by the ZPM."

Anna asked, "Do we still need the boxes?"

"Why?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"It's gold!" she replied. "How much do you think this storage box is worth?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"I bet a million bucks!" Jack told her.

Sam placed the ZPM's back in the box and layered in the insulating packing material. "We are not selling the boxes." she huffed. "Now what's in the next one?"

Anna lifted the lid off a larger box. Inside was more black packing material. At first she thought it had to be more power sources. Instead she found a large object that was oblong and looked much like a tube. "What's this thing?" she asked baffled.

Daniel replied, "It's an Ancient repository." He looked to Sam, "It's not connected to anything. You think it might be full?"

"It's possible." she agreed.

"What's a repository?" she wondered.

He explained, "It's a device that contains all the Ancient knowledge. That hole that you hide those old coins in was the area it was to be installed." He looked at Jack, "We just hit the jackpot! We got a brand new repository still in the box and ZPM's. It's like getting a shipment right form the factory."

Jack shined a light on the largest box in the room. "What ya think is in that big sucker over there?" he asked curiously.

Anna walked away from the two boxes and over to the third and much larger box. She told Jack, "Get the other side."

Jack grabbed one side of the lid and Anna grabbed the other. They lifted in unison and gently placed the lid down, leaning against the wall. Jack found the packing material and lifted it up. He found large chair inside the box lying on its side. He looked on depressed, "It's a chair!"

Sam figured, "It's the command chair for the outpost."

Anna stated, "It looks pretty comfy. We can always take it home…" she glanced about the room. "Once we figure out how to get it out." She then looked to the small tunnel and wondered, "How did they get all the stuff in here anyways?"

Daniel figured, "They placed the in the boxes of equipment as they were building it! Then they sealed it to come back and complete later. But they never completed it."

Anna suggested, "Or they used a shrink ray! Shrink it all down and then made it full size once it was placed in the room."

He nearly laughed, "Shrink ray!"

She rebutted, "Moving things from planet to planet and making outpost would be a logistics nightmare. If they can make a Stargate then couldn't they make a better method of moving things? If you can shrink a chair down so it fits in your hand you can place it anywhere and then you just make it full size after you get it there." Her mind conjured up a theory, "You started making the outpost and put everything you need in some roughed out rooms. Use the shrink ray to bring everything in one trip. Then seal up the rooms using a tunnel to escape and later use for ventilation. Come back later and finish off the outpost, put in doors and stuff! That's how I would do it."

Daniel merely sighed amused.

Jack cheered, "I like the shrink ray idea."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Daniel found more dialing addresses inside the second hidden room. For the time being they decided it would be best to leave the newly discovered room and golden boxes and all that was contained in the room and to be kept a secret.

Anna had received a tax bill for over 300 hundred thousand dollars for the new year. She was surprised for it was lower than she had anticipated. She sat at the kitchen table laughing at the bill. It was insane as far as she was concerned.

Jack mentioned, "My house didn't coast that much." as he held the bill in his hand.

Daniel smirked, "And they gave her a discount too! You should see how much that bill would be if she lived in New York."

Anna shook her head, "Even with General Hammond funneling money to us there is no way I can come up with that."

Sam gave a sigh, "I'm sorry!" Her eyes settled on Anna, "When we left on that dial out and we were told about the mine, I never would have thought it would have come at such a huge price."

She assured her, "It's not your fault. You don't have to apologize to me. If it weren't for you and Jack and Daniel ending up on my land, I never would have gone off world and seen what is out there. You did me a favor in a way. I got to know the truth and I'm grateful for that."

Daniel stated, "Hammond could not tell us anyways. But at least we know what is coming and we can prepare for it. Anna can board her horses at George Hammond's daughter's place in Colorado. She already has Pepper anyways. Anna will come with us back to the base the same day we left. We can relocate to Colorado Springs and work in the SGC."

She asked, "Where will I live in Colorado Springs?"

"With me!" he insisted. "I have a nice place that I rent."

Sam countered, "If Anna gets into the Air Force then she will get a base provided house."

He smirked, "Then I can live with her."

"Not unless you two get married, Daniel!" Jack told him. "There are regulations to living arrangements." He then looked across the table to Sam. "We would need to address that too."

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it." she told him not wanting to think about having to live in a separate house. She had grown accustom to Jack being with her over the last two years. She wasn't sure what would happen after they returned to base.

Anna shook her head, "The only way I will be in the Air Force is if I enlist as a grunt. I won't be an officer with everything you two got." She motioned towards Jack and Sam. She then looked at Daniel, "I think I might move in with you and well…Maybe if I'm lucky General Hammond will hire me as a contracting assistant to you or a secretary or something. If not, then I will apply for a job at some of the local stores as a clerk."

Sam argued, "The time we catch up you will have nearly three years experience going off world. That is worth something. That can get you a commission in the Air Force. You can be an officer."

Anna paused and then laugh, "Keep dreaming! That ain't gonna happen. I would be further ahead stealing a space ship, calling it something lame like _Shameless Angel_, grow my hair to my ass, dye it pitch black, dress in leather from head to toe and come up with some lame pirate chick name."

Amused Jack asked, "What would your pirate name be?"

She shrugged, "I don't know! Something after a British rock group. Duran Duran maybe? Something mal Duran."

Jack teased, "Valerie!"

She countered, "Valentine!"

Daniel interrupted, "You are not gonna become a pirate, Anna. I won't let that happen. You will live with me! Period! End of discussion. If General Hammond cannot pull any strings to get you a commission then I will insist on hiring you as my assistant on a contract." He gathered his wits, "Now! We have some more address to dial out."

Anna agreed, "We can start dialing out again in a couple of month."

"Why wait months?" he wondered.

She explained, "We got spring clean up, the town parade and then the county fair and Cassie Frasier is coming to stay for a few weeks for summer. She wants to learn to ride a horse and go camping and stuff. Come on! She's an orphan who lost her whole planet. Show some compassion."

Sam mentioned, "It would be nice to spend time with Cassie again."

Daniel let out a deep sigh, "Fine!"

**Months Later**

Summer had come and gone and soon fall had begun. The leaves started to turn to brilliant colors and the days grew shorter. Anna had stood in her driveway and watched as the trucks pulled away towing the trailer that contained the three horses. They were bound for Colorado Springs and for Anna is the closing of a chapter in hwe life. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her heart broke.

Daniel wrapped his arm wound her and soothed, "The horses will be waiting for us in Colorado Springs."

"I know," she sniffed. "You guys got what now? Nine months to wait. It's best the horses go now anyways. After all you got that list of addresses!" she tried to find something to take her mind off losing her horses. Next would be her home. In nine months it would all be gone and the government would have officially gained the property for the coming mining operation.

Sam stood to her other side and recalled, "I remember Janet telling me that Cassie was taking riding lessons from General Hammond's daughter and she was loving it." She then figured, "I must have had her tell me that so I could tell you."

"Cassie is good with Sandy." she nodded in agreement. She sucked in her tears and motioned towards the wooden barn, "Let's do some dialing out."

Jack suggested, "You can take it easy today if you want. I know that was hard to do."

"No," she shook her head. "I need to keep my mind off of it. We only have nine months to find this ship."

Daniel assured, "If we don't find it before we go back to the SGC will find it after we get back."

"We can work on it now!" she countered. She started back up the driveway towards the old barn. She opened the door and stepped inside with SG-1 following behind her. She went to the computer table and sat down in the chair. She grabbed the log book and read of the next entry to dial. She started to input the information into the computer.

Sam took a seat beside her. She noticed she skipped over a few addresses, "  
Why did you jump over these?"

"I just got a gut feeling about this one." she told her.

"Okay," Sam let the issue go. She glanced up as Jack retrieved the remote control toy truck that they used as a MALP. He placed it on the floor at his feet and stood with the controller in hand as a smile grew across his face. "What's so funny?" she wondered.

He glanced over at her as he waited for the wormhole to engage. "Nothing! Why?"

"I was wondering why you were smiling like that?" she confessed.

Anna noted, "He always smiles when he get to play with the MALP. I think it's a guy thing. Boys and their toys…"

His smile melted, "I do not!" He then walked over to the monitor on the table near Sam. He stood and watched as the image appear. It was dark at first. He turned on the toy truck lights and started to dive about the smooth floor to survey the area.

Sam glanced up at Jack. She noticed the smile creep back across his face as he drove the toy truck on the other side of the wormhole. His fingers flipped the levers back and forth with great ease. She then realized Anna was right. Jack was having fun controlling the toy truck. She looked at the screen once more. "This is some kind of room. Looks much bigger than the station's Gate Room. This might be a much bigger Star Gate that we connected with."

Jack turned the truck around and backed it up as far as it would go to get a picture of the connecting Stargate. The screen glowed with a blue light and the edge of the lower part of the connecting Gate. He squinted, "I can't back up far enough to get the whole thing on screen."

Sam read off the sensor readings, "The air is breathable. Temperature is 60 degree. I think it's safe environmental wise. Bring the MALP back! We can dial back when we are ready to go."

Jack flipped the levers and the toy truck came back through the event horizon without the need of the rope. He looked at Anna and smirked, "I can drive it back."

"Show off," she muttered for she had trouble driving the MALP blind and had to use the rope to pull it back.

Sam heard the jest. She assured Anna, "Once you get in the SGC you don't have to worry about Jack playing with the MALP anymore." She shot him a grin amused.

"I'm not playing!" he insisted. "I'm working!"

"Ah-ha," she chuckled.

Anna shook her head, "General Hammond is not going to give me a job in the SGC. And if he does it will not be doing this kind of thing. I will be the cleaning lady or working a kitchen."

Jack disagreed, "Those jobs are enlisted. You would be SG-1."

She cocked an eyebrow, "Why would he put me on SG-1? I'm not a specialist in anything."

Jack rebutted, "Remember when you busted through the Gate on horseback, lassoed two staff weapons, took three hits from a Zat gun while providing cover for Sam and single-handedly saved our collective asses?"

She gave a small nod, "I remember that."

"No one has ever done that!" he informed. "You impressed the hell out of Jacob and Bra'tac. That's a feat!"

"I'm sure you would have done the same." she figured.

"True!" he agreed, "Which makes you a specialist! We don't have a Calvary like we use to have in the old days and there was some scuttlebutt before we left about bringing the old style Calvary back for a Gate program; horses going off world is an option and you proved it can work. You know horses! You know how to shoot a gun and ride at the same time. Hell, I can't even do that and I tried. I can't hit the broad side of a barn!"

Sam admitted, "Riding and shooting one handed is really difficult."

Daniel had been listening as he was reading over his notes nearby. He then figured, "I bet we are the ones who started the talk about bringing in the old style Calvary to the SGC. All that time I assumed it Hammond's idea. He was pushing for a horse mounted team. At the time I thought it was kind of silly but looking back…" he tailed off as he pondered.

"Hind sight is twenty-twenty." Sam concluded. "It was us who were pushing for it." She looked to Anna, "You could help set that up! Hammond would back you fully!"

"I've seen the inside and outside of that base. In order to have a horse mounted SG team you would need four horses that are really well trained to not get spooked by loud noise. You would need inside stables for them and the ability to rotate horses in and out. You would need to transport them off base to a pasture for exercise and fresh air. You would need to address a major logistic issue to do that."

Sam grinned, "And you are just the person to do that."

"We shall see," she sighed doubtful.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

SG-1 stepped through the event horizon with Anna in tow. The team was dressed in the costumes as Anna wore her standard civilian clothing of jeans and a flannel shirt. The large area lit up upon sensing the gene that both Jack and Anna carried. It was soon apparent they were in a hangar. The walls were silver and gold in color. Inside the hangar was tube shaped gold painted craft that could easily fit through a standard size Gate. Behind them was a much larger Stargate that was four times larger than the Gate in the SGC.

Daniel estimated the diameter, "That's got to be a hundred feet across."

Sam agreed, "I would say so." She noticed the shuttles, "Those craft must be some kind of shuttle. One could fit perfectly in the SGC's Gate."

Anna inspected the nearest shuttle's skin. She wondered, "What is it with these Ancients and the gawdy colors? It's paint! It's not gold."

Daniel replied, "It's what the civilization preferred. It's not like the military doesn't have gawdy colors, huh Jack?" he gave him a smirk.

"Military colors are for camouflage, Daniel." he rebutted. "Ancient colors are just a flashback to the 70's."

Anna agreed, "That whole ascension thing sounds kind of hippie-ish."

Jack kidded, "Ancients! The original hippies."

Sam had made her way to a nearby computer screen. She soon found some information, "I found the schematics. We are in a hanger! We're on a ship. This is the primary hangar. There are two smaller ones in the center of the ship."

Daniel came to her side and started to read the text. "This is it! The ship! Mercury! Hermes!" He looked at Anna and stated, "Quicksilver."

Anna grinned and jumped for joy just a little bit, "We found it! We found the ship from the text. This is _Quicksilver_."

Daniel confirmed, "This is the ship."

Sam stated, "I need to get to engineering and the bridge. I think the ship is on autopilot."

"Let's go!" Jack agreed.

**Short Time Later**

Sam entered the engineering department of the Ancient ship with Ann in tow. She immediately went to the computers to find out as much as she could with Anna assisting to read any text as Jack and Daniel headed for the bridge.

Sam reported, "It looks like the automatic pilot program kicked on when you and Jack walked through the Gate. The ship appeared to have been in hibernation. It's now activated."

"If I'm reading this correctly," Anna began as her eyes scanned the text, "the ship has been waiting for the crew to return but it doesn't look like the crew ever came back."

"That would explain the hibernation settings." Sam agreed. She swiped her finger across the screen. A new screen appeared with different information. She blinked, "Oh! We just entered hyperspace."

"You mean the ship is moving?" Anna asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "I don't have navigation down here. That would be on the bridge." She grabbed her radio and attempted to call Daniel. "Daniel!" She got no reply. She figured, "We're out of range. We need to get to the bridge."

**Bridge**

Jack stepped onto the bridge unsure what to expect. He found the gold and silver color scheme rounded room. In the center of the room were three control chairs in the layout of a triangle. The walls were lined with computer consoles.

Daniel quickly figured, "The ship requires three pilots to operate." He went to the wall as Jack studied the chairs before him. He reported, "Jack the engines have engaged. We're in hyperspace. Can you get us out?"

"I can try." he shrugged unsure. He went to the first chair and sat down. The chair instantly reclined. His fingertips sank into some kind of silver gel at the end of the arm rest. Above him a hologram appeared of the ship.

Daniel stood off to the side and read the information, "You and Anna must have trigged the autopilot to engage. Can you bring up navigation?"

"I'm trying, Daniel." he replied tired and annoyed. The chair was burdensome and required utmost concentration. He felt like his mind was being tapped into by the technology. It took some effort but he found the navigation information and it appeared in the hologram above.

Daniel gasped, "We left the galaxy!" He fumbled for his radio. "Sam! Can you read me?"

"I'm almost to the bridge." she replied. "I couldn't get you in engineering. We're in hyperspace and moving but I don't know where."

"We just left the Milky Way." he reported.

A silence was all that followed. Soon the door slid open and Sam briskly entered with Anna right behind her. She came to a stop before the hologram and looked on with concern. "Can you get us out of hyper drive?"

"I'm trying, Carter." he weakly replied. "This is hard."

Daniel suggested, "The ship requires three pilots. Maybe if Anna takes one of the other seats the two pilots will be enough to get us out."

Anna gave a nod and then sat on one of the open chairs. The seat suddenly reclined for her as well. Her fingers sunk into the silver gel. "Whoa!" she suddenly gasped. "This is intense. It's like it's plugging into my head."

"Same," Jack agreed. He found the burden was lifted slightly when Anna's chair activated. "We need to turn off the autopilot."

Sam reported as she found the navigation chart, "We're heading for the Pegasus system."

Daniel asked, "How far away is that?"

"It would take months to reach with Asgard ships." she informed. "We're almost there. This ship is fast!"

Anna stated, "I think I found where autopilot was set to go to."

"Where?" Daniel wondered for he had yet to find that information.

"Atlantis!" she stated. "It says we're heading for Atlantis."

Sam and Daniel traded glances. He cocked his head, "As in Plato's Atlantis?"

Anna nodded, "I think so!"

Jack told them, "I think I have the autopilot controls now."

Daniel huffed, "Don't turn it off!"

Jack scowled, "What?"

"Let it take us to Atlantis!" he declared.

Jack threw him a dirty look as he sat in the chair.

He pleaded, "We're almost there Jack. After we get out of hyper drive then turn off the autopilot."

"Fine," he miffed.

Moments later they emerged from hyper drive. The hologram showed a small blue planet that looked much like earth from above. Jack then had managed to turn off the autopilot program.

Daniel wondered, "Where on the planet is Atlantis?"

Anna searched for the information and the hologram changed once more. It showed a large city ship that was submerged underwater. "It looks like it's sunk." She then figured, "I guess we should just go back home now."

Sam countered, "If this information is correct, the Ancient's put up a shield to protect the city. It's still intact."

Anna rebutted, "But it's underwater!"

Sam instructed, "Bring up the schematics for Atlantis."

Above them the hologram changed to a more detailed blue print. Sam stated, "It can be lifted. It's clamped to the floor. We can go down and unclamp the city and raise it."

Jack found with Anna going through the information and him no longer fighting to control the ship with an autopilot he could accomplish other tasks. He discovered the ship could connect with the sensors of Atlantis. He reported, "Hey! Um…I think I'm reading the sensors and look at this."

The hologram changed once more to reveal the power level of the submerged city.

Sam winced, "The power is low. If we got down there and start everything up it could drain what is left of the ZPM's."

Anna asked, "Don't we have ZPM's in the cave back home?"

She nodded, "Three of them."

Anna suggested, "We go back, park the ship someplace, take a shuttle and got get the ZPM's. Then we come back here and find a way to unclamp the city and replace the batteries." She made the whole idea sound as if it was nothing more than a trip to the park and back for an ice cream cone.

Jack stated, "I'm for that idea."

Sam rebutted, "Just where are we gonna park the ship? We can't just put it in orbit. It will be seen."

Anna suggested, "The dark side of the moon. No one will find it there."

Jack wondered, "Should we tell Teal'c that we found Atlantis? He might want to come."

Anna stated, "Hey guys! I think the sensor is picking up another Stargate but it's in orbit."

Sam asked, "Can you show it?"

"I think so," she nodded. The hologram then changed to the planet with a standard size Stargate orbiting the area.

Daniel puckered in thought, "Why is it in orbit? You would need a ship to get to it. Is there any signs of life on the planet?"

She nodded, "Seems to be but primitive. I don't think whoever is on the planet is using that Gate." She looked over at Jack, "So! What should we do?"

He smirked, "I'm not the boss. You are! I'm just security."

She gave a peeved look and the looked to Sam, "What should we do?"

Sam figured, "We need the ZPM's we found. We have to go back and get them. We can't dial Pegasus from the little Gate. It's too far out. The ship's Gate would reach though." She then recalled, "Bring back up the Atlantis schematics."

The hologram changed once more to show the inside of the city including a sitting Stargate.

"Atlantis has its own Gate." she figured. "This planet has two Gates. Who put the second Gate here and why?" she asked herself.

Anna sighed, "Don't know! Don't care. Can we go back home now?"

Sam wondered, "Why are you in such a hurry to go back home?"

"Because I gotta pee!" she told her.

"I'm sure there are restrooms on the ship." she countered.

"I don't know where they are." she huffed annoyed. "I know you have the bladder of a Marine, Sam but most cannot hold it as long as you can."

Jack suggested amused, "Just get some of those adult diapers."

She squinted, "You have the option of peeing in a jar. That's bit harder for me."

Daniel pointed to the hologram, "Look! Right here! That's the restroom. You don't have to hold it until we get back to the ranch."

Anna glanced at Jack, "You got this chair thing while I go pee?"

He nodded hard, "Just go pee!"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Anna soon found the restroom just off the bridge of the ship. She wondered what an alien toilet would look like and if it would be made of gold by any chance for the Ancients seem to have the fashion and style sense from the 70's as far as she was concerned. She walked into the large room and light automatically illuminated. It looked much like a big empty room to Anna. The floor was of an artificial stone tile. The walls were earthen in colors with green accents and a rustic feel.

She stood taking in the color scheme, "So! This is how the Ancients go back to nature, huh!" She walked over to what appeared to be an empty wall. "What do I do? Squat in the corner or something." she wondered aloud.

Suddenly the wall and floor beneath her opened up and privacy walls rose up from the floor. From the wall a stainless steel large bowl rolled out and lowered to the proper seating level. She watched in amazement as the bowl adjusted to proper size and height for the user. She grinned, "Cool…An automatic toilet that goes up and down. The seat," she cocked her head to the side and puckered in thought, "my behind isn't that big." She then realized how badly she had to relieve herself. "Ah, screw it." She turned about, dropped her jeans and took seat on the alien toilet. She was ever so relieved to go. After she finished she looked about the privacy stall and wondered, "No toilet paper?" She then dug through her pockets looking for her small package of tissue. She then felt a gentle mist on her skin followed by warn air to dry her off. She looked down, "What the fu…" she stood up and hiked up her pants upon realizing the advanced alien race had other means to cleanliness. She turned and looked at the steel bowl as green liquid flushed any waste away. It then started back into the wall as it sterilized itself and the privacy walls lowered back into the floor. She stepped back from the area. "And I thought the public restrooms in the mall were scary." she miffed. She then looked about wondering where to wash her hands. Near the opposite wall a golden box rolled out of the wall. She walked over figured it must be a sink. She stuck her hands inside and felt a slight amount of soapy water. She rubbed her hands together soon came a rinse. She shook her hands to dry them as a blue light emitted from inside the box. She removed her hands and found they were dry, soft and smooth. She looked at her finger tips, "Wow, a manicure too." She then wiped her hands off on her shirt as she walked through the door.

Daniel stood outside waiting for her. He asked, "Everything go alright."

She nodded, "It's completely automated. The toilet comes of the wall. It has this neat hand dryer and sink combo." she started. She sniffed her hand, "Smells nice too."

"We just discovered Atlantis and you are more amazed by the bathroom." he mentioned amused.

"When you find a good bathroom you remember it." she insisted as they returned to the bridge.

Sam looked over at her, "Better now?"

She announced, "That is the weirdest bathroom!"

Jack remained in the chair and asked, "What's weird about it?"

"You walk in and room is empty and then everything comes out of the walls or up from the floor." she explained.

"Sounds cool," he told her. He stood up from the seat as Anna sat in the other chair to take over.

Sam gasped, "And where are you going?"

"To check out the toilet." he told her as he left the bridge. He didn't have to actually relieve himself. He just wanted to see the room for himself.

Sam shook her head and muttered, "I finally get to be in charge of the team and no one listens to me."

Daniel stated, "We can't do anything without the ZPM's we found anyways and we already got our hands full with the ship we found. I think we should go back so we can study this ship more and then maybe we can come back and raise the city later. I'm sure Hammond would like an update on all this."

"We need a plan to raise the city." she agreed. "As soon as Jack gets back from playing around in the bathroom we can start back." she figured. She then looked at her watch and rolled her eyes for she knew it would be a few minutes as he played with the technology.

**Hours Later**

After gaining control of the ship they returned to the solar system and hid the vessel behind the moon. They then boarded one of the shuttle craft to go back down to the surface and directly to Anna's ranch and it was determined the shuttle craft would nicely fit in the barn that once kept the horses.

Sam sat beside herself as she brought back alien technology on a grand scale and then hid it from the SGC. All she could do is wait until they finally caught up to the day they left despite the massive technological finds. They all had gathered around the kitchen table as they discussed the next move.

"We will need to hike up the trail on foot to the cave and get the ZPM's." Sam figured.

"That will take up all of tomorrow." Jack figured. "I can just fly the shuttle…" he began.

Sam disagreed, "We've hiked it before! What do we need to use the shuttle for?"

"My knees!" he stated.

She sighed, "Anna and I can hike up the trail and get the ZPM's tomorrow. You can stay here and clean the house and make dinner."

Daniel asked, "And what about me?"

"You can come with us or stay and do house work with Jack," she smirked.

Daniel looked at Jack. "You're just gonna stay in the house all day tomorrow."

"I'm out of clean underwear." he nodded for he had much to do.

"I'll go with Sam and Anna!" he declared.

Anna looked to Jack, "I have a few things to run through laundry too tomorrow."

"I'm not doing ladies' underwear." he proclaimed.

"I've washed yours and Daniel's underwear." she rebutted.

Daniel sighed, "Sometimes I find Jack's underwear in my drawer."

Jack smirked, "I'm wearing yours!"

"I could have lived happily not knowing that." he retorted.

**Six Months Later**

It was another hard winter for the ranch. Time was ticking down and in three months Jack, Sam and Daniel could return to the SGC. The ship hidden on the dark side of the moon remained hidden for the time. The only pilot that could run the ship and shuttles for the moment was Jack with some aid from Anna. The pair often piloted the shuttle that was hidden in the smaller barn back and forth to the ship with Sam and Daniel onboard for further study and research. A plan was drawn up to send an expedition team to Atlantis in the future. Everything was going as planned and rather smoothly for SG-1.

Things we're not running for smoothly for Anna however. She caught a number of men on her property poking about. Many were with the mining industry but also she caught trespassers from the environmental protection agency, law firms and county officials. The property was becoming a magnet of interest and she feared someone opening up one of the barns and discovering a shuttle or the little Stargate. It was simply a matter of time before something top secret would be discovered.

It was a fine spring morning. Shortly after breakfast a knock came at the door. Anna went to the door as Jack started to clear the table of the dishes. Sam and Daniel were about to lay out the plans for the day and objects to be accomplished onboard the ship.

After opening the door Anna found a tall man in an Air Force dress uniform with big bushy eyebrows. He sported a major generals' rank. Her eyes settled on the name badge. Landry it read. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm General Hank Landry of the US Air Force. I need to speak to you, Miss Hunter and SG-1." he announced.

She opened the door, "They are in the kitchen."

"Thank you," he replied walking into the quaint kitchen. "Nice place!" he noted as he glanced about.

Jack turned and spied his friend, "Hank!"

"Jack!" he smiled back, "There really two versions of you here. I just saw you at the SGC when I came for an inspection."

"Pentagon sent ya." he figured as he placed the dishes in the sink.

He gave a nod, "Yup!" He smiled at SG-1 and gave them a nod.

Jack found him to be rather quiet and knew something was about to happen. He asked, "What ya here for?"

"Have a seat, Jack." he motioned towards the table. "Please, Miss Hunter."

By his reaction Jack knew it was bad news. He took a seat at the table with his friends. He waited as Hank also took a seat. He looked on expecting, "And?"

"I'm here to notify Miss Hunter that the US Air Force is seizing the property and the Stargate on her property along with the items found in the cave." he stated. He then waited for the coming objections.

Jack huffed, "It's too soon! We got three more months."

"We need to move now." he informed. "The Naquadah ore is now known. We have to take it before the county does."

Sam asked, "Can we stay here for another three months?"

"We want you and SG-1 to live on the ship full time. We figure you can use this time to conduct full time research." he explained.

Daniel asked, "And Anna?"

"Her personal belongings can be placed in storage and since she has the gene and can pilot she can assist on the ship." he concluded.

She asked nearly amused, "You mean I don't have to live in my truck?"

"Of course not." he agreed. "We would eventually like to assign a crew to the ship. You are in a position to serve as a pilot. The ship requires three pilots and that gene is rare. You have a private pilot's license and from what I have heard you have been piloting an alien shuttle with Jack."

"She's a good pilot." Jack confirmed.

Anna nearly laughed, "Oh! I get it! You guys are gonna take my land and in return let me go live on a space ship."

"You will be compensated for the land." he assured her.

Jack asked, "When do you want us to vacate the property?"

"Today!" he told him. "Pack your things! You are SG-1 again. Just…you have to stay on a ship for a while."

Anna chuckled as she shook her head unbelieving, "This is gonna be good."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Anna decided with the loss of her land and her private Stargate that she was going to downsize. She left everything in the house except some clothes and a few family photos. She kept her cap and ball revolver that Jack and Sam had given her from Christmas and then walked away. She figured she needed a clean slate and the memories were just going to slow her down. She walked into the back of the shuttle with a duffle bag and her revolver strapped around her waist.

Sam walked in behind her and back in her old uniform. "Is that all you're taking, Anna?"

"Yup!" she nodded.

"What about your archery and gold medal?" she wondered.

"Screw it," she miffed and let her bag fall to the floor. She went to the co-pilot's seat and started to look over the readings.

"You won a medal! Don't you want to take that with you?" Sam asked concerned.

She shook her head, "Bury it in the ground with all the other memories of my family." she chocked as a tear ran down her cheek.

Daniel walked into the back of the shuttle next. He had Anna's bow, quiver and medal on his person. He mentioned, "You forgot something." He placed it gently on the seat. He also carried a duffle bag and was back in uniform.

Anna shook her head, "I didn't forget it."

He then sat in the navigation seat behind her. He rubbed her shoulders, "I know losing all this is hard. It's hard for me too. It became home for all of us. It became home for Jack and Sam. You gave us a home when we needed it. Don't try to forget it! Embrace it! What matters is what you keep in your heart."

She gave a heavy sigh and paused for a moment. She reflected on the past few years. "Least I'm coming with you." she agreed.

"Yes you are!" he kissed her cheek.

Jack walked wearing his uniform and carrying a number of weapon cases and the briefcase with Anna's family records. He also had the cattleman hat that belonged to her father. He placed the cases down, "I got another load to get."

Anna looked and asked, "What are doing with all those old guns."

"We're taking them!" he announced.

"Why?" she wondered.

He stated, "Because if you leave it all here, someone else will claim it! And some of these are mine." He turned, "I need to get that little survival gun by the bed." he reminded himself as he walked back out of the shuttle.

Anna spied the case, "I guess Jack knows what to bring."

"He would know better than most." Daniel agreed.

**Later That Evening**

Anna had been forced to leave her home behind as the property was seized for national security reasons. Everything she once claimed as her own was taken from her with one swift swoop of a pen. It wasn't from an invasion or foreign military or even aliens from another world but rather the power of her own government. She tried to move forward and acquaint herself with her new home in the Ancient ship. She found the hallways were as gawdy in color scheme as the bridge. The walls were painted bronze in color and the floor had a brown stone color scheme. The ceilings of the hallway was shaped line an arch with lights inside.

She miffed a she made her way to the assigned quarters. "This looks like something out of a Buck Rodgers film." She soon found the door to the room and it slid open before her. She stepped inside and found Daniel was unpacking their bags.

The room was rounded with gold painted walls and sliver painted trim. The floor was a copper color rug. The ceiling was dark green with recessed lighting. There was a queen size bed in the middle of the room and what appeared to be a closet space set into the walls. The room included a desk area and an Ancient computer console that was standard in each room. The seating consisted of white padded chairs and a light oak table.

Daniel glanced up as he unpacked the bag that he laid on the bed. He mentioned, "I got us one of the better rooms. I think this was for officers or VIP's." He then noticed her face as she didn't like the color, "Something wrong?"

"The ceiling is green." she pointed up. "It doesn't even match."

A smile crept across his face, "I thought it looked pretty good." He then walked over to the computer console, "We could always try sky blue." He touched the screen and suddenly the ceiling changed color to blue. Or egg shell white." he changed the color again.

Anna made her way to the computer and found a layout of the room on screen. She squinted, "We can decorate our own rooms!"

"Was the green, gold and copper rug a bit much?" he laughed for he pulled a joke on her to lighten her mood. He knew she was still hurting from losing her home.

"You decorated this monstrosity." she figured.

He stood up, "I'll finish unpacking and you can decorate it like you want." He watched as she took a seat at the computer and then he stepped back to the bed to finish unpacking. Around him the room started to change color schemes. The copper colored rug was replaced by a rich dark oak floor. The walls turned to a light cream color and the trim was suddenly the same dark oak as the floor. He noticed her eyes light up as she found she had the technology to remodel a room at her fingertips.

"Windows!" she discovered the command. She touched the screen and suddenly they had a window on the wall. She had an option for a scene, "How about a harbor." Inside the window an artificial image of a ocean side harbor appeared on a sunny day. "This is cool!" she had to admit.

"Nice view," he agreed. He placed the last article of clothing away. He then mentioned, "We also have a private bathroom and kitchenette." He then walked back over to her and the computer. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her as he looked at the screen over her shoulder, "This room is customizable. The ship only has about a dozen of these rooms that have private baths and a kitchen. I think they were used for VIP's and officers." He kissed her cheek assuring once more. "This one is ours."

"I get a VIP room on a space ship?" she asked amused.

"WE…" he emphasized "get a VIP room on a space ship." He then gave her a squeeze around the arms, "after we're settled in General Landry wants us to meet in the briefing room off the bridge."

"Okay," she gave a nod.

**Ship's Briefing Room**

Major General Hank Landry sat the head of the large oval shaped oak table. Hank found he could change the decor of the room using the advanced computer system which seemed rather user friendly. He made the room look more like a modern briefing room found on Earth. Instead of a round room, he made it a rectangle. He made the walls white and the floor gray carpet. He wasn't sure just what advanced material the ship was composed of but he did figure out that whatever it was constructed of also could be molded to an individual's liking. He hoped Sam could explain the ability for ship to change interior in her report. He kept a stack of file folders before him and waited for the future SG-1 team with Anna Hunter to arrive. He didn't have to wait long as Jack soon entered the room with Sam.

"Hank!" Jack greeted his old friend. "Have you checked out the VIP rooms yet? You can redo it!" He took a seat at the table and Sam beside him.

"I redecorated this briefing room!" Hank replied. "What'ya think?"

Jack looked about, "Nice!"

Sam explained, "I know how that is possible. The entire ships can change, not just the inside."

"We'll wait for Dr. Jackson and Miss Hunter to arrive and then you can debrief us." Landry explained.

Jack noticed the files, "Personnel files, Hank?"

"We need to fill the ship and find an expedition team to go retrieve the city you found." he stated.

He wondered, "Who will be taking command of the ship?"

Hank confessed, "We haven't determined that yet but I put my name in and so did George."

"Coin toss, huh?" he smirked.

"Possibly," he agreed.

Daniel soon led Anna into the room. He greeted, "General Landry! Jack! Sam." He soon took a seat after looking about, "Nice job decorating, General."

"Thank you, Dr. Jackson." he smiled pleased. His looked at Anna for her opinion.

Anna agreed, "Very nice! Reminds me of my office…" she winced and shook thought from her mind as she took her seat.

Hank stated, "Major Carter was about to explain how the ship can do all this."

Sam gave a nod, "The ship is constructed out of liquid metal. It's similar to mercury but it's not toxic. Not only can the inside of the ship be changed but also so can the outside. We can make this ship into any shape we please. It can be camouflaged to look like anything. The ship also has quantum field dilation capabilities. It's actually larger on the inside that it appears on the outside. I've never seen anything this advanced before. This ship surpasses what the Asgard."

Anna asked, "Bigger inside than outside? You mean like Dr. Who and the TARDIS?" she wondered comparing the ship to a TV show.

"Yes," Sam gave a nod. "Just like _Dr. Who_."

Jack wondered, "You ever watch that one with the cat who evolved into a human and they were all stuck on this ship…" he tailed off as Daniel gave him the most bizarre look.

"_Red Dwarf_!" Anna nodded with a grin. "That show is funny."

"Anyways," Sam continued slightly annoyed by the interruption, "the ship can be cloaked and camouflaged both inside and outside due to the unique construction. I think 'Quicksilver' is the name of the liquid metal it's constructed out of. It's one of a kind as far as I can tell. We've never found anything remotely like this ship. We need time to study the ship before leaving on any missions."

Hank agreed, "And we will be spending the next few hours going over record files and hand picking her crew and expedition team." He slid the stack of files before them, "I have four more boxes to go through."

Anna squinted, "You want me to help you guys help pick out a crew for the ship?"

Hank nodded, "You helped us find it."

She peeled off the top file and opened it up. "Meredith Rodney McKay." Her eyes scanned over the record, "This dude has more degrees than I have pairs of underwear." She felt a bit over her head in the task for she only had a high school diploma.

Daniel looked over her shoulder, "So Rodney's first name is not Rodney! It's Meredith!" he smiled amused.

Anna asked, "You know him?" She glanced about the table.

Sam nodded, "He's a specialist that was brought in to assist from time to time. He likes to brag about how smart he is. Don't get me wrong! He's brilliant but…" she winced.

"What?" Anna wondered.

Jack stated, "He likes Carter."

"He keeps asking me out." Sam sighed.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Just tell him to bug off and you're not interested. You don't have to date him."

Sam explained, "He can be persistent."

"Really!" she exclaimed. "I wanna meet him. Let's bring him in for an interview."

Sam agreed, "He is brilliant and can help us." She then paused unsure, "But…"

"If he bothers you then you just let me know." Anna demanded. "I can take care of him faster than I can rope a bull." She then grabbed the next file from the stack. "Major Carmon Mitchell! Test pilot for F-302 program." She looked to Sam, "What program is that?"

"It's an interceptor we are developing based on technology we brought back. These are fighters that can go into orbit and deep space." she explained. She gathered the file from Anna's fingers, "I went to the Academy with Cam. He's a good friend of mine."

Anna suggested, "Let's bring him in!"

Jack asked, "Why?" He knew Mitchell would be asset but also knew Anna didn't think the same way as most. He wanted to hear her reasoning.

"Eye candy!" she replied. "He's damn cute."

Daniel crossed his arms and gave her a look.

"Almost as cute as you…" she backpedaled.

Sam grinned, "He's cute! Has this vintage Mustang…" she noticed Jack didn't look too happy. "I just like his car." she covered.

Anna grabbed the next file and handed it to Jack, "You do this one." She then handed one to Daniel and took one for herself, "Let's see! Major John Sheppard. Pilot! Oh, he has the gene!"

"We started blood testing for the gene in the military branches." Hank agreed.

"We need a third pilot for _Quicksilver_." Anna figured they might have all three pilots with her and Jack added.

Daniel opened his file, "Dr. Elizabeth Weir. She speaks a few languages and is a negotiations expert."

Hank agreed, "We might want someone who knows how to negotiate with us on this expedition."

Jack opened his file, "Carson Beckett, MD…" he looked at Hank, "Canadian."

"I think he has the gene, Jack." he recalled. "Anyone with the gene is a priority."

Anna asked, "Am I the only one with the gene who doesn't have a degree?"

"I think so." Landry nodded.

She puckered, "Can we bring in Walter? And I also want Teal'c!"

"Teal'c is currently on the other SG-1 and Walter is in the base." he reminded her.

"But the time we leave for the mission we would have caught up to when my SG-1 left and they can come onboard." she figured.

Jack nodded, "That's true!"

Anna grabbed the next file, "First Lieutenant, Marine Corps, Aiden Ford." She read off the name.

"There will be a platoon of Marines assigned to the ship." Landry informed. "So far we have had over 10 thousand applicants."

"What number is this guy?" she asked flipping through the file and noticing the award citations.

"That would be the first Marine to apply." he told her. "The order is from first to last."

"Hire him!" she placed the file on a new pile.

Jack asked, "Why? He's the first one!"

"From my experience hiring ranch hands the guys who apply first are the one who really wants the job and wants to work. Get towards the end of the pile and it's the guys who don't really want the job but need work. There is a big difference between wanting to work and needing to work. I want the guy who wants the job, not the guy who just needs the job for a check." she explained.

Jack figured, "I guess he's in then."

Daniel picked up the next file, opened it, read the name and closed it. He slid it aside, "Reject pile is here."

Jack wondered, "Whose file is that?"

"Dr. Felger." he winced.

Jack glanced at Sam who winced in pain. He took the file and placed it in a nearby trash can. "We can file that one there."

"Felger?" Anna asked.

Sam gave a heavy sigh, "A shotty scientist in the SGC who has a crush on me." She then stated, "At least Rodney is brilliant…Jay…Not so much."

Anna wondered, "If he's a crappy scientist then how did he even get a degree?"

Sam informed, "You can graduate last in your class, barely be able to pass the test and still be called a doctor."

"Scary," Anna nodded in thought.

"You can run circles around Jay Felger, Anna. Trust me…Just because you don't have a degree doesn't mean you cannot keep up with those who do." she assured her.

Jack suggested, "We should send Anna into the SGC for a day as Felger's assistant."

"Why?" Daniel asked not amused by the idea.

"I wanna see her kick his ass." he proclaimed. "She can do it too!"

Anna shook her head, "I doubt I could kick anyone's ass." She then looked about, "We got any coffee? This is gonna take a while."

"You read my mind," Hank agreed.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A few weeks had passed onboard the ship that was tucked behind the moon. The ship ran on a crew of five people including General Landry as a temporary commanding officer. With time ticking down but still weeks to go and supplies running low Hank needed to send a shuttle down to the surface to get supplies for them to live comfortably on the ship. At the same time they needed to avoid giving any indication to the younger version of Jack, Sam and Daniel who were diligently working in the SGC any hint to the ship's existence. Thus, the three must remain onboard _Quicksilver_ while Anna and Hank Landry made a run for supplies. Anna had her first solo flight piloting the shuttle as she and Hank went back down to Earth to gather supplies that were waiting for them in the SGC.

General Landry wore his green battle dress uniform and had Anna borrow Sam's green battle dress uniform to pass off as an assistant. They would land the shuttle in an abandoned airfield that served as a glider club decades before. There they would find a green Humvee to drive to the base to gain a supply truck and load the supplies from inside the base store rooms.

Anna landed near an old hangar and engaged the cloaking device of the shuttle. She lowered the back ramp and looked to Hank, "I guess that's the Humvee that George said would be here."

"That's it," he agreed. He stood up and led Anna out the back of the shuttle. He asked, "You ever driven a light utility vehicle before?" He motioned towards the Humvee.

"I'm sure I can figure it out." she assumed. "It's like a big jeep!"

"Little different." he replied. "If I drive it will look weird. Lower ranking officers or enlisted always drive."

"Got it," she nodded. She got to the driver's side door and climbed inside. She sat up in the seat. "This thing is higher than my pickup."

"It's high!" he agreed.

"Let's see: parking break, shifter…It's an automatic!" she figured. "Heck, my tractor has more bells and whistles."

"I heard Jack liked that tractor." he mentioned.

"He liked to dig things with it," she nodded. She started the vehicle. "Neat! I'm driving a Humvee!"

"Base is just ten miles south. Just take it easy." Landry cautioned.

"Sure thing," she nodded. She started to drive slowly at first until got the hang of the wheel. "Okay, let's just hope no one looks too closely at my ID since it is Sam's ID."

"Just flash it." he instructed. "Try to go not sit to long at the gate."

"Right," she nodded. She pulled out of the driveway and started down the road to the mountain base. In short time they came to the guard at the gate outside the base. Much to her relief the guard recognized General Landry and waved them through. "Whew," she sighed. "I feel like I am breaking into Fort Knox."

"You're doing just fine." he assured her, "Park over there." He pointed to an area with other military trucks and vehicles.

She complied and soon turned off the engine.

"Leave the key," he stated. "George will have it signed back in. Come on!" he opened his door and climbed out. They walked over to a nearby troop truck and climbed into the back. As they waited for others to be transported inside they heard a familiar voice.

"Wait!" he called loudly. Dr. Daniel Jackson came to the back of the truck wearing civilian clothes and carrying more books. "Hold up!" he hollered as he climbed into the back. This was Daniel prior to going back in time and he had never seen Anna before. He sat across from her and General Landry. He glanced up and noticed the name tag. A small smile crept across his face but he said nothing.

Anna wanted to hide and found herself slipping behind Hank fearing Daniel would get a good look at her face. She peeked out from behind Hank's shoulder and found Daniel was reading a book and holding a flashlight to see the words. She held her breath the entire trip into the base.

Once they arrived to the blast doors Anna kept behind General Landry trying to hide from the other version of her boyfriend. She found herself standing behind Landry in the elevator using the General as a blockade between her and the younger Daniel.

The elevator stopped and on walked the other version of Jack O'Neill. Jack spied his friend, "Hank!"

"Jack!" Hank replied finding it very strange to deal with two versions of his friend.

"Daniel," Jack smirked.

Daniel looked up from his book, "What?"

"If you get your nose out of the book I can introduce you to a friend of mine. Hank Landry, meet Daniel Jackson." he motioned.

Daniel glanced over, "Nice to meet you General."

"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Jackson." he purposely placed Anna behind him and in the corner to not be seen.

The door closed and the lift started down again. Jack asked, "What ya doing here, Hank?"

"Meeting with George." he replied.

"Ah," he gave a nod. He mentioned, "If you ever get some time off you're welcome to come to my cabin."

"Thanks Jack," he nodded kindly, "Maybe in the future."

The elevator came to a stop once more and the door slid open. Sergeant Walter Harriman stepped inside carrying an armload of files. "Sirs," he greeted. "Dr. Jackson." He stepped to the side and then his eyes grew wide as he spied Anna hiding behind the General. She smiled and waved quietly to him in an awkward fashion.

Walter quickly figured that Jack and Daniel in the elevator had yet to meet Anna and she needed to be out of sight. He positioned himself to block their view of her.

The elevator came to a stop once more. Daniel glanced up, "My stop!" he stepped off with Jack behind him. The door closed and they continued further down.

Walter looked to Anna, "It's safe now! You can breathe!"

She nearly collapsed back to the wall, "I just about had a heart attack when they walked in."

Hank asked, "Did George get the supplies we need for the ship."

"I got it all in a storage room." he nodded. "I'll help ya load the truck and bring it to the shuttle. How are they up there?" he motioned upwards.

"Busy on the ship." Landry told him.

"I wish I could see the ship." Walter admitted.

Landry assured, "You will."

The elevator came to a stop once more. They stepped off and walked down the hallway. Walter noticed, "You are wearing Major Carter's uniform."

"She said I could borrow it." Anna nodded.

"I'll get you an extra uniform out of storage." he told her. He led them to the storage room. He soon found it was unlocked as he opened the door. Inside Teal'c stood waiting to help. "Teal'c!" he stated surprised, "You helping us?"

"Indeed," the Jaffa beamed.

**Three Weeks Later - SGC**

Major Samantha Carter beamed with enthusiasm upon being debriefed prior. A very large naquadah ore bed had been discovered in the USA and had been acquired by the government. The naquadah deposit was located in Utah and one of the largest deposits ever discovered. Earth now had its own supply of the rare mineral that was so crucial to the space program. It was as if they were given a gift from above and she couldn't have been more pleased. She made her way to the Gate Room to gather her team for the next assignment. She noticed Teal'c was missing from the assembly.

She greeted Jack and Daniel, "Sir! Daniel…" she glanced about, "No Teal'c?"

Daniel explained, "He was called to Chulak this morning. His son is having some issues…" he winced.

"Girlfriend issues," Jack added.

"Oh," she winced feeling any parent's frustration. "I see…so it's just us."

"Just us, Carter." he agreed. He glanced up at the control room as the inner ring of the Stargate began to turn. One by one the chevrons locked into place and soon the event horizon was established with an eruption of liquid energy that shimmered like water under the high powered lights.

Jack watched on as Sam and Daniel went through the eye of the Gate first. The whole thing was getting rather mundane for the old colonel. Every new dial out was becoming much like the last. He walked up the ramp and into the event horizon for yet another mission.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Teal'c of the Jaffa stood on the hangar of the ship, _Quicksilver_ as he was welcomed aboard. In a few hours SG-1 would catch up to when they left and at last the ordeal would be done.

Jack walked out the back of the shuttle after retrieving his friend, "Three more hours and I can finally stop worrying about meeting myself." he mentioned. "No more hiding! We are finally caught up!"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Ya miss me?" he asked his friend.

The Jaffa paused and cocked his head, "Occasionally" he decided for the Jaffa had been dealing with two versions of Jack for over three years.

"We missed you!" he assured him. "Come on! I'll show you your quarters and how to work the decorating program." He led him to the hallway, "The ship is made of this liquid metal stuff and you can make your room look like anything you want. The standard shape is round but you make it square, rectangle, triangle…" he went on.

"I see," Teal'c replied.

"There are only six of us on the ship counting you right now. Tomorrow we can start brining on a crew." he told him. "We didn't want to risk any leaks."

"I understand." he agreed.

They rounded the corner and Anna was walking towards them. She wore green battle dress with no insignia or rank. She even lacked a name badge as she wore the surplus uniform that Walter gathered for her from storage. She beamed upon seeing her friend, "T!" She soon wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "I missed you so much." She released her embrace.

Teal'c smiled, "And I missed you, AnnaHunter."

"Jack showing you around?" she asked.

"Indeed." he confirmed.

"Great! I'll see you two at lunch. Sam asked me to come to engineering this morning." she gave them a smile and continued on her way.

Teal'c asked, "What will become of AnnaHunter?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked unsure.

"Will she be compensated for her loss?" he questioned as they continued.

"We're working on it." he assured him.

**Engineering**

Sam manned a station in the engineering department and monitored the sun for flares. She was determined to find out what caused them to go back in time in the first place. But the sun seemed to have no unusual activity at the moment.

Anna walked in, "You called?" she asked.

Sam nodded still studying the sun on screen, "I'm trying to figure out what sends us back through time in three hours from now. I assumed it was a solar flare but there is nothing that I see coming off the sun."

"Maybe it's too soon?" she suggested.

"I've been watching the sun all morning." she informed. "Everything that I thought could have caused it turned out negative. The Gate in the SCG has protocols in place to prevent a solar flare bending the wormhole a second time. I assumed it was such a large flare it overcame the protocols but I'm not seeing anything that even looks like a flare developing." She glanced over to Anna. "Sometimes you can see things that I can't so I wanted you to look over it."

"How can I see things that you can't when I have no idea what I am even looking at?" she asked. Her eyes scanned over the screen. "I got nothing!"

Sam gave a depressed sigh, "I guess all I can do is lock on and observe the wormhole."

"How do you lock onto a wormhole?" she wondered.

"_Quicksilver_ is like no ship out there. Nothing comes close! Daniel and I think it's a prototype the Ancients built before they…disappeared. They put everything into this ship. _Quicksilver_ can basically lasso a wormhole and move it to another Stargate. It reroute any wormhole that is near."

"How can it do that?" she wondered.

Sam explained excited, "Have you ever heard of cosmic string theory?"

"Nope," she shook her head.

"To put it simply there are very small, highly dense particles of cosmic material that made during the big bang. These strings stretch from galaxy to galaxy; throughout the universe and can very is size and density. For the most part the Ancient avoided the strings and even put in safeguards to ensure they don't run into them. The strings are a hazard for wormholes and hyperspace. But this ship they gave a latching capability so they can use the cosmic strings to bend space fabric, wormholes, things I have not discovered yet. This ship can use a cosmic string to grab a hold of the wormhole and move it!"

Anna asked, "How do you know that's not how you guys went back in the first place?"

Sam stopped what she was doing and slowly looked at her. "What?"

"Maybe you guys did it to yourself?" she suggested.

"What?" she asked again.

Anna stated, "You thought it was a solar flare but you just said that's not what caused it but then you said the ship can do the same thing. How do we know you didn't lasso the wormhole and throw yourselves through time?"

"Why would we do that?" she wondered.

Anna stated, "Look around you! If you had not ended up on my property coming through that little Stargate you guys would have just went on a mission like normal. You never would found the ship, the ZPM's, the other outpost that was under construction. Where were you dialing out supposed to have gone?" she wondered.

"Langara," she informed. "We're concerned about them building a weapon of mass destruction."

"We can take the ship and figure out what's going on there." she told her. "It seems to me that your mission to Langara is on hold and you need to swing that wormhole around the sun or this ship is a gonner…" she then pondered, "I wonder if I would keep my ranch if we let you guys go…"

Sam squinted, "You still owned back taxes and you were gonna sell of land for building plots."

"True," she nodded. "But if that wormhole doesn't throw you, Jack and Daniel onto my property you won't find this ship. And I wouldn't have met you or Daniel or Jack. This is a crossroads, Sam. You have to fulfill the loop and send yourself back. I don't see any other way."

Sam stood flabbergasted, "I actually do it to myself!"

"Well," Anna soothed, "We all do stupid things from time to time."

"Augh," she exclaimed. "I've never tried to capture turn a wormhole before."

Anna figured, "You obviously did it!" She asked looking over the controls, "So where is this cosmic string lasso thing located?"

Sam motioned with her finger, "There!"

Anna took a seat at the console, "Hey, I can read some of this." she cheered.  
Let's see, how to catch a wormhole?"

Sam asked, "Does it actually say that?"

"Close enough!" she shrugged.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sam had called for a briefing onboard the ship with SG-1 and General Hank Landry. She walked into the briefing room with Anna in tow. She seemed relieved and frustrated at the same time. She just completed a time loop and now faced the task of explaining what happened to her teammates and friends.

Jack glanced at his watch, "We went back?" he asked hoping he could come out of hiding.

"Yes!" Sam affirmed. "We have gone back." She plopped down on a chair at the table and let out a deep sigh.

Hank asked, "Did you find out what caused the wormhole to send you, Jack and Dr. Jackson back in time, Major?"

She nodded, "I did it!"

"Excuse me?" he replied surprised.

Jack squinted, "What?"

"I assumed we hit a solar flare but there was no solar flare this morning. I couldn't figure it out. How did we go back when there was no solar flare? Then Anna pointed out that we're in a self-fulfilling loop. This ship is a prototype. The Ancients put everything that had into this ship including cosmic string technology." she started.

Jack cocked an eyebrow, "String theory!"

She smiled somewhat amused, "And you know what that is!"

"I read about it." he admitted.

Daniel asked, "What is String Theory?"

"According to the theory there are very dense particle strings left over from the Big Bang that are so dense they have gravitational and quantum properties. We have found the existence of the strings. We don't know exactly how they were made so we theorize it's particles that were spread out during the Big Bang. The Ancients found a way to harvest the strings properties and use it to warp space fabric and to actually capture a wormhole and move it. This morning I captured the wormhole that was dialed out of the SGC and moved it around the sun and back to Earth to the smaller Gate on Anna's property. That processes caused us to travel through time as a side effect."

Jack asked, "We sent ourselves through time?"

Anna cheered, "I helped!"

"Why would we do that?" he gasped.

Sam explained, "As Anna pointed out to me earlier, if we did not send ourselves back then we would not have found the ship or the smaller Gate or the repository and the ZPM's. We would have just gone on another mission and who knows where we could have ended up."

Daniel slowly nodded, "We had to send ourselves back to make sure we met Anna and found the other Gate and the information that was hidden in those caves on her property. It's a self-fulfilling! If Sam and Anna didn't use the ship to send us back then we wouldn't have the ship today. The address that Anna dialed was not in any of our data bases. It came off the walls of that second hidden room in the cave and we never would have found that if Anna didn't bring us to it herself." He concluded, "Anna was the key to us finding all this. In the last three years working parallel to the SGC, secretly out of Anna's barn and we probably gained a decade's worth of advances at least." His eyes settled on Anna sitting across from him. He knew she lost her property as a result of their gain. It didn't seem fair to him. Their gain came at her loss. Nothing was ever free and everything came with a price. The only question was who would be paying that price and it was apparent that Anna paid for their advancement.

She shrugged, "I guess it was a bargain."

Jack asked, "What was a bargain?"

"My land for this ship." she told him.

"Huh?" he cocked his head bewildered.

Daniel explained, "The price for us to make these gains was Anna losing her land. That was the tradeoff. When we stepped through that Gate we didn't have any clue how we got that mine. We just assumed it was found on state land. We had no idea. We didn't know about the smaller Gate or what we would find in that half-finished outpost. We had no clue what had happened to bring us here. With every gain there is a loss and our gain was Anna's loss."

Sam assured, "She will be compensated."

He asked her, "What price tag would you put on this ship?"

"It's a prototype! There is no price tag that could cover this ship." she balked. "It's worth…trillions…" she guessed.

Daniel stated, "And it was paid for with real assets that Anna owned. It wasn't paid for in dollars. It was paid for in memories."

"True," Anna sighed and then leaned over the table and looked directly at him, "But I also got new memories now too."

"That you do," he agreed.

General Landry stated, "At least now we know how it happened, why it happened and we have this whole thing all wrapped up now and we can go forward. No more hiding SG-1. You can all come out of the shadows now. We can go forward with our new mission with the ship. I have a list of men and women to be interviewed in the SGC. We will keep the ship hidden in the meantime. For now, we have a crew to fill."

Anna asked, "You mean I can go into the SGC with SG-1 and not have to hide anymore?"

Daniel chuckled, "There is no other version of us for you to hide from…" he squinted. "Wait, I did see you in the SGC! In the back of the troop truck and you were…" his eyes rolled up as he recalled, "wearing Sam's uniform."

Jack asked, "You saw her? I never saw her!"

"She was in the elevator with us, Jack." he told him. "Remember when you stepped on and General Landry was there in and you invited him to your cabin and introduced us."

He nodded, "I remember that!"

"She was right behind him." he recalled.

Anna gave a nod, "I nearly crapped myself when you stepped on that elevator, Jack. Then Walter stepped on and he saw me and positioned himself to block you from seeing me. Then after you and Daniel got off we went down to the supply room and met up with Teal'c who helped us bring the supplies up to the ship." She then added, "I had a few close calls when I went in there."

Jack wondered, "There was another close call other than the elevator?"

"Walter snuck me out right through the briefing room and all of you guys were there in a briefing with George. It was during the budget crunch." she recalled.

Sam assured, "The good news is you do not have to worry about hiding from us anymore."

"That's good!" Anna agreed. "That was getting to be a real pain."

**Next Day**

SG-1 with General Landry and Anna returned to the SGC leaving the ship tucked away behind the moon. It had been over three years since Jack, Sam and Daniel stepped foot into the base but officially they had never left. They gathered in the briefing room with General Hammond and boxes full of files to start interviews for the needed crew and expedition forces.

General Hammond smiled at his best team happy they were free to come back to base. He started, "I'm assigning your positions to the ship first. Jack, you will be lead pilot. All pilots are under your command."

Jack looked to Anna, "Now I'm your boss!" He then asked George, "Are we the whole fleet?"

Hammond assured him, "There will be more pilots and we will be using the hangar for the new F-302 Interceptors. Major Frasier is also working on a gene therapy that will hopefully allow those without the gene to operate the technology."

Jack agreed, "Sounds good!" He looked to Anna, "But I'm still your boss."

"Aye, aye Captain." she muttered.

Hammond continued, "Major Carter…Please stand up."

"Sir," she stood up wondering why he requested.

"Over here," he motioned for her to follow him.

Sam found herself before the table and near the flag. "Sir?" she asked.

He retrieved a small box and opened it to reveal a golden leaf. She had received a promotion, "Lieutenant Colonel," he corrected the rank. "Congratulations!" he placed the pin on her collar.

"Thank you sir," she chocked upon receiving the promotion.

"You will be the ship's lead engineering officer, Colonel." he informed.

She smiled grateful, "Thank you sir."

Hammond gave a salute and she returned the gesture before taking her seat once more.

Jack grinned at her, "You earned it!" he assured.

Hammond took his seat, "Dr. Jackson! I have you down for lead researcher and communications director."

"Thank you, sir." he gave a nod in agreement.

He looked at Teal'c, "I have you listed as one of the pilots and consultant."

"Agreed," he declared.

Hammond looked at Anna who seemed rather amused as the General looked upon her. She assumed she would simply be a contracted pilot until they no longer needed her. He reached down to the floor and gathered a briefcase. Upon opening the case he removed a white flat box. He opened the end of the box and slid out a leather holder. He then handed the holder to her.

Confused she asked, "What's this?" She opened the leather holder to reveal master's degree. She sat befuddled, "A master's degree from the Air Force Academy! I never went to the Academy."

Jack disagreed, "Sure you did! You went to the SG-1 Stargate Academy."

She balked, "What?"

Sam grinned, "You didn't really think we would just waste time and energy giving you all those test and training you, did you?"

"I thought you guys were bored!" she told her.

"We were training you." Sam informed.

"Seriously?" she asked befuddled. "This isn't one of those honorary bullshit degrees?"

Sam replied, "You earned it! It's not an honorary degree."

Daniel perked up, "Nor is it a degree in bullshit!"

"Holy cow!" she gasped.

General Hammond added, "That degree also comes with a commission rank."

Anna still wondered if it was nothing but nonsense but was also hoping it was real. She asked, "Second lieutenant?"

Hammond stated, "Stand up!"

Anna stood up as requested.

General Hammond retrieved a small box. He retrieved the pin and stood next to Anna and placed the captain's bars on her collar.

She glanced down and then back up rather confused, "That's a captain's bar."

"So it is, Captain." Hammond replied. He then went to his case and retrieved another box and opened it. "Three hits from a Zat gun while saving SG-1 on horseback. That's being wounded in action." He lifted the Purple Heart from the case.

Her mouth dropped from shock.

He pinned it to her battle dress jacket. He then noticed, "You need a name badge for that uniform." He reached into the case and found the name badge he had ordered for her. He placed the badge to the jacket as well. He then gathered another box, "For gallantry in a combat situation," he began as he presented a Silver Star, "That little trick was the horses were notable." He pinned the Star to her uniform as Anna began to feel rather faint. He noticed her color was pale. "You okay, Captain?" he whispered.

"I'm a little overwhelmed." she confessed.

"Have a seat." he instructed.

She went back to her seat and slowly sat down still in shock.

Jack mentioned to her, "You can come busting through a wormhole on horseback, take three hits from a Zat gun, save our collective asses, disarm Jaffa with a lasso but pin a little medal to your chest and you damn near go down."

"I really wasn't expecting all this." she confessed still feeling a bit light headed.

Daniel assured her, "You earned it!" He looked to General Landry who was busy closing his briefcase, "Do we have a commander for the ship yet?"

He nodded, "General Landry will be taking command of the ship and I will be taking command of the larger Stargate onboard."

Jack asked, "You're both coming?"

"That's right, Jack!" Hammond smiled. "You get both of us as your commanding officers."

His shoulders slunk, "Both!"

Hammond slyly smiled, "Indeed."

The End


End file.
